:00:03. > :00:06.Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story tonight. Sacked - the chief
:00:06. > :00:16.executive of a race relations charity at the centre of a funding
:00:16. > :00:24.
:00:24. > :00:29.Our other headlines. More money from your council tax bill to pay
:00:29. > :00:35.for policing. �10 is a lot of money for people with families or the
:00:35. > :00:38.elderly. Somebody has to pay the bill at the end of the day and if
:00:39. > :00:42.we don't do it, we won't have any police on our streets.
:00:42. > :00:47.They've been waiting for a train for almost 50 years, but a new
:00:47. > :00:50.station is almost ready at one of Wales' most remote towns.
:00:50. > :00:53.In tonight's sport, Wales enjoy a weekend off. And it's another Arms
:00:53. > :00:57.Park outing tonight, as the Blues hint they could play more games
:00:57. > :01:02.there. And we're at the Olympic Velodrome,
:01:02. > :01:05.which is hosting its first sporting event. We'll be catching up with
:01:05. > :01:12.Geraint Thomas as he continues with his preparations for the Olympic
:01:12. > :01:15.Games. Good evening. The chief executive
:01:15. > :01:19.and finance director of the race relations charity AWEMA ,which has
:01:19. > :01:21.been at the centre of a funding scandal, have been dismissed. The
:01:21. > :01:23.move comes after the Welsh Government launched multiple
:01:23. > :01:33.inquiries into financial irregularities and mismanagement at
:01:33. > :01:38.the organisation. Here's our Welsh Affairs Editor, Vaughan Roderick.
:01:38. > :01:42.Naz Malik's future has been in doubt ever since accusations of
:01:43. > :01:48.mismanagement emerged at the end of last year. Now both he and his main
:01:48. > :01:53.accuser, the already suspended finance director, Saquib Zia, have
:01:53. > :01:57.been sacked with immediate effect. Last week, a damning report said
:01:57. > :02:01.that Naz Malik and the trustees had shown little regard for the
:02:01. > :02:05.recognised standards in public life. There was a lack of fundamental
:02:05. > :02:09.controls in the charity's procedures, it said. All public
:02:09. > :02:14.funding for AWEMA was immediately funded. The Wales Audit Office on
:02:14. > :02:22.the charity day should have launched inquiries. Naz Malik has
:02:22. > :02:26.already admitted using funds to pay off his personal credit card debt.
:02:26. > :02:33.Prior to the publication of the government report, Rita Austin
:02:33. > :02:43.accused the opposition parties and the media off using AWEMA as a
:02:43. > :02:52.stick to beat the Welsh government. An administrator is to be appointed
:02:52. > :03:01.and what was the largest such charity is to close. So, Vaughan,
:03:01. > :03:05.is this the end of AWEMA? Yes, it did not have large personal
:03:05. > :03:08.donations. It did not rattle tins on the corners of streets. It was
:03:08. > :03:13.inevitable once the public money was cut off that the charity would
:03:13. > :03:18.have to close. He does not mean it is the end of this story. I think
:03:18. > :03:25.the repercussions are going to rumble on for months. What will
:03:25. > :03:27.happen next? We have the inquiries and those inquiries are being
:03:28. > :03:32.conducted in liaison with the South Wales Police. They could become
:03:32. > :03:35.involved as well. The government is due to make a statement on AWEMA on
:03:35. > :03:41.Monday and there will be a debate on the situation in the Assembly
:03:41. > :03:45.next week. They are all sorts of repercussions. There could be
:03:45. > :03:48.further action taken against individuals or the charity but it
:03:48. > :03:54.could take a long time before we discover everything that went on
:03:54. > :03:58.inside it AWEMA that led to the collapse. A statement on Monday.
:03:58. > :04:02.How politically embarrassing is this for the was government?
:04:02. > :04:07.think it is embarrassing and be opposition parties are determined
:04:07. > :04:10.to embarrass the government over it. There were close contact with the
:04:10. > :04:15.Labour Party. The government had been warned that there were
:04:15. > :04:20.problems. Why didn't they act? Why didn't they act to make sure this
:04:20. > :04:23.could not happen, that is the question that will be asked.
:04:23. > :04:27.Council tax payers are being asked to fill the gap left by UK
:04:27. > :04:29.government cuts to police funding. Each of our four police forces have
:04:29. > :04:33.increased the amount they'll be claiming from the council tax for
:04:33. > :04:36.next year's budget, as they try to cope with cuts of 20%. It means
:04:36. > :04:43.next year's council tax bills in large parts of the country will
:04:43. > :04:49.increase on average by nearly �10. Cemlyn Davies reports.
:04:49. > :04:53.You must judge me after the trial, not before! John Cooper was sent to
:04:53. > :04:57.jail for life. He had been found guilty of carrying out two double
:04:57. > :05:02.murders in Pembrokeshire, crimes that had gone and sold for more
:05:02. > :05:07.than 20 years. This week, the chief constable warned expensive
:05:07. > :05:11.investigations like this may not be possible in the future without an
:05:11. > :05:17.increase of 5% in the chunk of money it claims from the council
:05:17. > :05:21.tax. Today, be forced's authority voted unanimously in his favour.
:05:21. > :05:25.have been looking at the Budgett since last summer. We have had a
:05:25. > :05:31.massive cut in government grant. Much bigger than other public
:05:31. > :05:35.sectors in Wales. We have to ensure the public of Dyfed Powys still
:05:35. > :05:39.receive the highest level of service we can give them.
:05:39. > :05:46.increase of 5% to the council tax precept means members of the public
:05:46. > :05:50.will be facing an increase of 18p per week. That is �9.45 every year.
:05:50. > :05:55.The police force say this will allow them to maintain the services
:05:55. > :05:58.they are currently providing. Responding to the decision, the
:05:58. > :06:02.chief constable said, while today's news is welcome, it will not
:06:02. > :06:07.necessarily improve the situation. It will just stopping us from
:06:07. > :06:11.getting any worse. It is a similar story across the
:06:11. > :06:20.country. South Wales Police had already
:06:20. > :06:24.decided to increase the amount it claims from the council tax to 5%.
:06:24. > :06:28.Gwent Police have gone for a more modest settlement. We have been
:06:28. > :06:32.sensitive to the needs of the communities. We have matched and
:06:32. > :06:36.done all we possibly could do to keep it as low as possible.
:06:36. > :06:42.North Wales, several members of the North Wales Police Authority had
:06:42. > :06:48.cause for a freeze. In the end, there was a compromise. The least
:06:48. > :06:53.worst option is giving the long- suffering council taxpayers of
:06:53. > :06:57.North Wales a break of one year of an increase in exchange for the
:06:57. > :07:02.police are authority having to do - - having to have second thoughts
:07:03. > :07:06.about some of its activities. Chief Constable of North Wales
:07:06. > :07:10.Police said he was disappointed with the decision, adding job
:07:10. > :07:16.losses will now be inevitable. An increase across the board, but
:07:16. > :07:21.is it fair? It should come from the government, definitely. We pay for
:07:21. > :07:25.enough as it is. To �10 is a lot of money for people with families and
:07:25. > :07:29.the elderly. Somebody has got to pay the bill at the end of the day
:07:29. > :07:34.and if we do not do it, we will not have any police on the streets.
:07:34. > :07:38.the UK government cuts back its contribution, it is falling to the
:07:38. > :07:41.council taxpayer to protect those responsible for protecting us.
:07:41. > :07:44.Earlier I spoke to Professor Martin Innes from the Police Science
:07:44. > :07:50.Institute at Cardiff University and asked him if its inevitable that
:07:50. > :07:55.front-line policing will suffer. I think at the moment the situation
:07:55. > :07:58.is manageable but there comes a point where things start to tip.
:07:58. > :08:01.Senior police officers have been talking about the fact that in the
:08:01. > :08:06.current environment, they will have to do more with less but at some
:08:06. > :08:16.point, that changes around and it is doing less with more. Less
:08:16. > :08:16.
:08:16. > :08:20.pleasing but to its Markley. - policing but do it as smartly. That
:08:20. > :08:24.gives you flexibility and adaptability. We have heard a call
:08:24. > :08:30.from one senior police officer for a -- and all Wales police force.
:08:30. > :08:33.Could that be the answer? It is possible but I think the thing I
:08:33. > :08:38.would say at the moment is it would be worthwhile just holding fire on
:08:38. > :08:41.that before going too far down that track. In Holland, they have
:08:41. > :08:49.recently moved to a national force. They are in the process of doing so
:08:49. > :08:54.in Scotland. We could watch and learn. Merging police forces is
:08:54. > :08:58.very expensive. At a time when you have not got a money, whether you
:08:58. > :09:03.want the money going on mergers or frontline police. It is a serious
:09:03. > :09:08.consideration. Some police forces to have financial reserves. Could
:09:08. > :09:14.they not use these? The trouble with dipping into the reserves is
:09:14. > :09:17.they are there for a reason. Things happen. It only takes one good riot
:09:17. > :09:23.or a good major crime to happen and that takes an awful lot of funding
:09:23. > :09:27.to get you through that. If the reserves are not there, you do not
:09:27. > :09:32.want to have at a point of crisis, wondering whether you can pay for
:09:32. > :09:34.what you need to do. A 35-year-old man from Oswestry has been arrested
:09:34. > :09:37.and bailed on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway
:09:37. > :09:40.after a train collided with a van in Powys. It happened near
:09:40. > :09:43.Llanbrynmair yesterday. Police are investigating the cause of the
:09:43. > :09:46.crash, which knocked the van into a ditch. A man was airlifted to
:09:46. > :09:49.hospital following the incident. Parents in Gwynedd are being urged
:09:49. > :09:52.to get their children vaccinated with the MMR jab after an increase
:09:52. > :09:55.of measles cases. Ten children have been diagnosed so far, all pupils
:09:55. > :09:58.at Ysgol Eifionydd in Porthmadog. Public Health Wales says those
:09:58. > :10:08.affected didn't have the full dosage of the vaccine or hadn't had
:10:08. > :10:15.
:10:15. > :10:18.it all. The Annual Welsh Labour conference
:10:18. > :10:22.gets underway in Cardiff this evening. Joining me now is leader
:10:22. > :10:25.of the Welsh Labour party and First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones.
:10:25. > :10:28.will be saying to the people of Wales we have developed it --
:10:29. > :10:32.delivered a lot and we have exciting plans for the future. We
:10:32. > :10:36.know people are finding it tough at the moment and making sure that we
:10:36. > :10:40.have a safe and excellent health service. People are finding it
:10:40. > :10:43.tough at the moment, they are. You have local council elections coming
:10:44. > :10:50.up. Isn't it time to take responsibility for any cuts that
:10:50. > :10:57.people may have seen in services? We can only play the cars that we
:10:57. > :11:00.have been dealt. We have seen a cut of 7.5 % in budgets. That'll be the
:11:00. > :11:06.case for the next three years. We can only spend the money that we
:11:06. > :11:09.get. We have had -- we have tried to allocate money to areas that we
:11:09. > :11:14.think are important, health, education and making sure people
:11:14. > :11:20.have the opportunity to get jobs and training. He was still laying
:11:20. > :11:24.the blame at Westminster door? is a matter of fact. We can only
:11:24. > :11:28.allocate the money that we get from Westminster. But in the health
:11:28. > :11:32.service, instead of creating chaos, we want to make sure that the
:11:32. > :11:35.health service delivers for the people in Wales. We have put a
:11:35. > :11:40.substantial amount of money into the economy over the past year and
:11:40. > :11:47.we have seen the unemployment rate in Wales drop over the past two
:11:47. > :11:56.months. It has gone up elsewhere in the UK. It shows that what we are
:11:56. > :12:01.doing is having an effect, even at this early stage. You do need to
:12:01. > :12:05.win back control in some local authorities to be seen as a
:12:05. > :12:09.recovering party? That is absolutely true. We want to build
:12:09. > :12:12.on the result we had in the Assembly elections last year. We
:12:12. > :12:17.want to increase the number of councils that we have and increase
:12:17. > :12:22.the number of councils that we control. We are not going to sit
:12:22. > :12:29.back and be complacent. We will fight for every single vote. Hard
:12:29. > :12:32.work brings the results. Naz Malik has finally gone from AWEMA.
:12:32. > :12:38.Shouldn't the Labour government have stepped into this match really
:12:38. > :12:43.are? There are two inquiries taking place. One is an independent
:12:43. > :12:47.inquiry by the Auditor General for Wales. Absolutely crucial that
:12:47. > :12:56.makes its recommendations. We will see what happens. Do you think you
:12:56. > :13:00.go to have stepped in earlier? -- could have? It is always unwise to
:13:00. > :13:03.prejudge what an independent inquiry is going to do. Let's see
:13:03. > :13:07.what the auditor general says, let's see what happens and then it
:13:07. > :13:12.will be important that lessons are learned. Let's be absolutely clear,
:13:12. > :13:21.we want to make sure that this was an independent inquiry and that is
:13:21. > :13:24.exactly what the people of Wales will get. Still to come on the
:13:24. > :13:27.programme - a taste of the Olympics before they begin. Could it help
:13:27. > :13:30.Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas repeat his medal success from Beijing? And
:13:30. > :13:34.he was the first man to die on Scott's expedition to the south
:13:34. > :13:38.Pole. A hundred years on, Petty Officer Edgar Evans is remembered.
:13:38. > :13:41.In a few months, people living in one of our most remote towns will
:13:41. > :13:44.have a train station for the first time in almost 50 years. The new
:13:44. > :13:54.station with new services for Goodwick and nearby Fishguard in
:13:54. > :13:55.
:13:56. > :13:59.Pembrokeshire should be ready by May. Here's Kate Scott-Williams.
:13:59. > :14:07.Fishguard was once a major Atlantic port and a direct rail link with
:14:07. > :14:11.London was forged. The train journey took less than 4.5 hours,
:14:11. > :14:14.even in 1906. But for years, the only trains serving this remote
:14:14. > :14:20.part of Wales have been those connecting with the ferry service
:14:20. > :14:26.from Fishguard to Rosslare. One train every day and one train every
:14:26. > :14:30.night. Until now that is. This is the sight of the new Goodwick
:14:31. > :14:39.station. They will be an extra five stations stopping -- five trains
:14:39. > :14:44.stopping here. It has made a big difference. Not
:14:44. > :14:48.just to me but a lot of people my age. It has made Fishguard more
:14:48. > :14:53.accessible for people wanting to come into the area and also it has
:14:53. > :15:00.made Carmarthen, Swansea, Cardiff and even further a lot easier to
:15:00. > :15:04.access. It has come about through Welsh government and capital
:15:04. > :15:09.funding and follows more than a decade of campaigning by a local
:15:09. > :15:16.transport group. There is an elite -- really train just before 7am. A
:15:16. > :15:25.woman was told that he dad Safe To Fortune already, travelling to
:15:25. > :15:29.London on business. -- it had saved her a fortune already. Around
:15:29. > :15:33.�400,000 has been spent on this project and it will be looked at
:15:33. > :15:38.closely to see if the service pays off. Good evening. This time next
:15:38. > :15:41.week will mark the eve of a monster weekend for Welsh sport. It'll all
:15:41. > :15:44.kick off with rugby and Wales' bid for a Triple Crown against England.
:15:44. > :15:48.Some squad players are back for their regions this weekend and the
:15:48. > :15:54.Blues return for the second week running to the Arms Park. The club
:15:54. > :15:58.have hinted today it may not be the last time. A week today, all eyes
:15:58. > :16:02.will be on Twickenham. A triple crown at stake. The break could not
:16:03. > :16:08.have come at a better time for Wales. They are optimistic several
:16:08. > :16:12.key players will bounce back in time. We are hoping everyone will
:16:12. > :16:17.be up and running by next week. That is what we are hoping. We have
:16:17. > :16:23.got the weekend off and a bit more rehab and different things. We will
:16:23. > :16:27.see where we are on Monday. Some squad members have been released to
:16:27. > :16:30.play for their regions, Gavin Henson, Scott Williams and Lloyd
:16:30. > :16:40.Williams return for the Cardiff Blues. They are playing again at
:16:40. > :16:44.the Arms Park tonight. They will be hoping for a bumper crowd. The
:16:44. > :16:53.Cardiff Blues have hinted they may be spitting the game's Italy in the
:16:53. > :16:58.two grounds in the future. I prefer the Arms Park. You saw the success
:16:58. > :17:02.of last week, taking the game but at the Arms Park. The fans came out
:17:02. > :17:09.in their numbers. They were making a statement, maybe. Maybe they just
:17:10. > :17:15.enjoy being at the place. There are two more games tonight. The Ospreys
:17:15. > :17:19.are at home to Pieroni. Steve Tandy welcomes back Alun Wyn Jones. He
:17:19. > :17:29.makes his first start in over three months.
:17:29. > :17:30.
:17:30. > :17:34.The Scarlets are away to Leinster. The motivation for Aled Brew why he
:17:34. > :17:38.is leaving the Dragons. Confirmation today he is leaving.
:17:38. > :17:41.It is understood he is heading for France. For the first time in
:17:41. > :17:45.nearly three years, the Scrum V cameras are at Cardiff Arms Park
:17:45. > :17:48.tonight. This is the scene there live, just ahead of kick off. You
:17:48. > :17:51.can watch all the action straight after Wales Today from 7:00pm on
:17:51. > :17:55.BBC2 Wales. BBC Two Network are showing the cycling. That's
:17:55. > :17:58.available on the red button. Football and Swansea City arrived
:17:58. > :18:00.back from five days' training in Tenerife last night. No game for
:18:00. > :18:04.them this weekend, but it's Championship action for Cardiff
:18:04. > :18:07.City tomorrow. The Bluebirds, still in third, are away to Ipswich where
:18:07. > :18:17.they'll face their former striker Michael Chopra. It's Cardiff's last
:18:17. > :18:20.
:18:20. > :18:23.league match before the Carling Cup Final at Wembley, a week on Sunday.
:18:23. > :18:29.They have beaten the league leaders at their home ground. It has never
:18:29. > :18:33.been an easy place to go. They are on a good run at the moment. They
:18:33. > :18:42.have some good players. It is a dangerous run -- dangerous game we
:18:42. > :18:44.have got a moral. -- tomorrow. The Olympic Games may be a few months
:18:44. > :18:48.off but the British cycling team are competing in the Olympic
:18:48. > :18:51.Velodrome for the very first time. Welsh medal hope Geraint Thomas is
:18:51. > :18:54.part of the team pursuit. They've qualified for Sunday's World Cup
:18:54. > :18:59.final. Tomos Dafydd went to experience the atmosphere at the
:18:59. > :19:03.Olympic Park for himself. It is a test for the world's best cyclist
:19:03. > :19:08.and the velodrome, hosting its first event. This place has been
:19:08. > :19:13.built to help break records. The angles of the track have been
:19:13. > :19:20.designed to maximum speed. Even the temperature has been set to create
:19:20. > :19:26.record-breaking conditions. And there is no room for mistakes. And
:19:26. > :19:33.if this is anything to go by, the Olympics will be very special.
:19:33. > :19:37.6,000 fans helped propel Geraint Thomas and the team. They finished
:19:37. > :19:41.second fastest on the night. Just getting a familiar with the
:19:41. > :19:45.surroundings. It is not new when you turn about the Olympic Games.
:19:45. > :19:53.It is a great venue. The track is very nice. It is similar to the one
:19:53. > :19:58.in Newport. Repeating his success from Beijing will be tough.
:19:58. > :20:03.Australia, New Zealand and Russia are a real threat. The Australians
:20:03. > :20:08.are probably be favourites at the minute -- minute. They have been
:20:08. > :20:11.preparing for this all summer. They have some super form. It is going
:20:11. > :20:21.to be a tough race. The a gun to give it anything anyway --
:20:21. > :20:24.
:20:24. > :20:34.everything anyway. -- they are going to give it any -- everything
:20:34. > :20:35.
:20:35. > :20:38.A memorial service has been held in Swansea to mark 100 years since the
:20:38. > :20:44.death of Edgar Evans, the first man to perish on Captain Scott's ill-
:20:44. > :20:47.fated expedition to the South Pole. Petty Officer Evans was born in
:20:47. > :20:57.Rhossili on Gower and reached the South Pole, along with Scott, in
:20:57. > :20:59.January 1912. He died just weeks later on his return to base camp.
:20:59. > :21:06.Paying tribute to one of Wales' greatest adventurers who died 100
:21:06. > :21:09.years ago today in the frozen wastelands of the Antarctic. More
:21:09. > :21:12.than 200 people attended a special service at St Mary's Church in
:21:12. > :21:22.Swansea today to remember the life and exploits of Petty Officer Edgar
:21:22. > :21:24.
:21:24. > :21:34.Evans. Among them was his grandson John. He was a very clever man. He
:21:34. > :21:34.
:21:34. > :21:40.designs keys and kampongs, he even changed the design of the footwear.
:21:40. > :21:43.He was well thought of by Scott. a clear day in 1910, Edgar Evans
:21:43. > :21:46.and the rest of Captain's Scott's team left Cardiff docks on board
:21:46. > :21:50.the Terra Nova, bound for the south Pole. Evans was personally chosen
:21:50. > :21:54.by Scott because of his strength and resourcefulness. He was a
:21:54. > :21:58.member of the five man polar party which set out to reach the South
:21:58. > :22:01.Pole before the Norwegians. But their rivals had beaten them two it.
:22:01. > :22:07.During the 800 mile journey back to base camp Evans, who was suffering
:22:07. > :22:17.from frostbite and exhaustion, fell into a crevasse. He died from his
:22:17. > :22:19.injuries a fortnight later. Paying tribute to Edgar Evans today was
:22:20. > :22:23.Petty Officer Jason Davies, who serves on board the Royal Navy
:22:23. > :22:26.Vessel HMS Scott. Scott's ill fated expedition is a tale of courage
:22:26. > :22:32.against the odds and it's the bravery of men like Edgar Evans
:22:32. > :22:35.which means that story will endure Time now for the weather forecast
:22:35. > :22:38.with Derek. It's been quite mild this week, but
:22:38. > :22:43.winter woolies will come in handy over the weekend! There is a big
:22:43. > :22:47.change on the way. It's going to turn colder. Some rain, sunshine
:22:47. > :22:51.and frost on the way. A dusting of snow in places too but not enough
:22:51. > :22:54.to build a snowman. Tonight cloudy and damp. Pockets of light rain and
:22:54. > :22:57.drizzle. Heavier, more persistent rain reaching the north-west later
:22:57. > :23:00.in the night. The south westerly wind strengthening with lowest
:23:00. > :23:03.temperatures only 7 or 8 Celsius. Tomorrow's chart shows a cold front
:23:03. > :23:07.moving south across Britain. That will bring rain followed by colder
:23:07. > :23:15.air from the Arctic. So tomorrow morning, Monmouth may start dry but
:23:15. > :23:19.it won't last. For most of the country, a damp if not wet start to
:23:19. > :23:22.the day. Some heavy rain in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and
:23:22. > :23:25.Gwynedd. Hill fog and windy too with fresh to strong winds. So a
:23:25. > :23:29.wet spell tomorrow but the rain will clear and during the afternoon
:23:29. > :23:32.it will dry and brighten up. The sun will come out with a few wintry
:23:32. > :23:35.showers in the north. Top temperatures around 9 Celsius but
:23:35. > :23:39.turning colder once the rain clears. In Radnorshire tomorrow, some rain.
:23:39. > :23:42.Becoming dry and sunny in the afternoon and turning colder.
:23:42. > :23:46.Tomorrow night a few wintry showers in Mid Wales, Powys, Ceredigion and
:23:46. > :23:56.the north. A dusting of snow in places, mainly on some hills and
:23:56. > :23:57.
:23:57. > :24:00.mountains. Otherwise dry. Some frost and a few icy patches too. So
:24:00. > :24:03.a cold start on Sunday. A few light hail, sleet and snow showers in
:24:03. > :24:05.parts of Mid Wales, Powys, Ceredigion and the north otherwise
:24:05. > :24:10.dry with bright skies and sunshine. Feeling chilly with a north-
:24:10. > :24:14.westerly breeze. So Sunday the best day for a walk. Mind you, I'd make
:24:14. > :24:17.the most of the dry weather if you can. Next week will start dry but
:24:17. > :24:21.turning more unsettled and milder with spells of wet and windy
:24:21. > :24:30.weather. Our picture tonight is from Jon Pimm. The Brecon Beacons
:24:30. > :24:40.covered in snow. Thanks, Jon. A reminder of the main headlines
:24:40. > :24:51.
:24:51. > :24:54.tonight: Naz Malik and Saquib Zia have been sacked from AWEMA. And