01/05/2012 BBC Wales Today

Welcome to Wales Today, our top story:

The inquest into the death of MI6 Officer Gareth Williams from

Angelsey - why did the security Our other headlines tonight:

Demonstrators protest against centralising hospital services -

but is 'keeping it local' now The frontman of Iron Maiden

promises hundreds of jobs for the Vale of Glamorgan in his other

The stranded passengers who chartered their own bus to ask

politicians to get behind their And how do you make a Paralympic or

Olympic medal? I'm at the Royal Good evening. The inquest into the

death of a Welsh MI6 officer has heard that a senior counter-

terrorism officer had failed to examine some evidence in the case

or pass it on to the investigation team. The detective leading the

inquiry into the death of Gareth Williams from Anglesey said she was

told only yesterday about the evidence found by MI6. From

Westminster Coroners Court, here's Roger Pinney.

Today this inquest attempts to get under the skin of the relationship

between the murder squad detectives and the secret intelligence

services. Gareth Williams work was so sensitive, a go-between was

needed linking the woman investigating his death with his

employers at MI6 and GCHQ. The coroner has questioned whether that

system broke down. The headquarters in London. An inventory of Gareth

Williams belongings were kept here, including a black bag of the same

make that the one his later hit -- the his body was later found in and

nine memory sticks. The detective only learned of the infantry in the

last 24 hours. The inquiry into the death is still being treated as a

murder hunt, 21 months after he died. Today the coroner has been

told officers at another department of Scotland Yard did know about the

infantry, the counter-terrorism command, the supposed go-between in

the investigation. The detective superintendent from the counter-

terrorism team was giving evidence and the clarinet made an outburst.

I suggest you have not been impartial in the case, she said.

Then she suggested the inquiry had been hampered because not all the

him fit the -- the in affirmation was passed over to the

investigators. I passed on all the information I felt was relevant, he

replied. This image shows the inside of Gareth Williams London

flat where his body was found in 2010. It was lying in a foetal

position inside a padlocked bag. The bag had been locked on the

outside. Last week an expert who'd tried to do it said he thought it

was almost impossible to block the back from Wigan -- the sports bag

from within. She said there would be submissions from a lawyer

representing Gareth Williams's family. From their reaction, it is

clear they are far from happy with the way his investigation has been

handled. A 40-year-old man from Cardiff has

been arrested on suspicion of money laundering and funding terrorism in

Somalia. He is one of seven people being questioned by the

Metropolitan Police. The arrests, which are related to a smuggling

operation, also involved US A convicted murderer has been found

guilty of strangling his neighbour with a TV lead. 65-year-old David

Cook from Cardiff tied up Leonard Hill before killing him and

stealing money. Cook was jailed for life in 1988 for strangling Sunday

school teacher Beryl Maynard in a violent robbery. He'll be sentenced

Nine people from Wales have been arrested by North Wales Police

investigating the naming of the victim in the Ched Evans rape case.

The Wales and Sheffield United footballer was jailed for raping a

19-year-old woman at a hotel near Rhyl. Her name was subsequently

published on Twitter. Victims of sexual offences are entitled to

Opposition parties have accused the Welsh Government of a cover up over

plans to reorganise the health service. Ministers have thrown

their weight behind a report setting out the case for

centralising health services, saying that the current system is

too expensive to run. Here's our political correspondent Aled ap

Campaigns have been a frequent occurrence at the steps of the

Assembly but following months of protests against possible

centralisation, there Welsh government is developing a new

strategy, to sell the controversial plans to the public. It turned into

a controversial issue at First Minister's Questions.

Were you admit you have tried to keep it under wraps until after the

local elections and now you have been caught out? It is time for

some honesty. If you government is making the case, what exactly are

you making the case for? I'm amazed to hear her say this is

secret because we published it on the website. It is not even our

report. This is scaremongering. Plaid Cymru were handed out

leaflets saying that we were closing hospitals in Llanelli. Let

me say something to the people of Llanelli and Aberystwyth, there is

no threat to those hospitals. The Welsh Institute for Health and

Social Care was commissioned to articulate a national case for

change. The report published next week will say that centralising

emergency services enables a mortality rate consistent with the

average peer performance in England. Rationalising major trauma services

can reduce mortality by 25% and that mortality in functional

outcomes of patients with heart attack and major trauma were

improved when services were centralised. All parties are in

favour of centres of excellence but say they shouldn't be at the

expense of services at district general hospitals.

There is clearly a case for elective surgery to be done at

centres of excellence but what we can't tolerate is some district

general hospitals not being sufficient to back up accident and

emergency departments. It is openly and transparently

about the future of the health service. Don't say that on one hand

we will have a health consultation and the other, care plans to

railroad changes through. Each of the health boards have

legally-binding financial targets this year, despite 150 year -- one

and and �50 million bail-out. Some argue some changes have to be made.

Most clinicians will have to be doing things as close as possible

to the patient. Those things that really do need a very specialised

team around you, the very expensive, the very complex end where there

are a few people with those skills to do those things, I think we have

to face reality. The Welsh government wants

clinicians to play a more active role in describing the reasons for

change and the nature of the proposals but not everyone is on

board. Least of all Chris Overton, who was suspended in 2005 after

raising concerns over the future of services.

Doctors who work in centralised services already, the bigger

hospitals, will be keen to have more doctors working their and

their management will be keen to see a centralisation of services.

The doctors who work in the rural community will be aghast.

Final plans could be agreed in August. They are the latest set of

reforms to the health service but no others have proved so

controversial. Police investigating the death of

Cardiff pensioner have arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of

murder. 68-year-old Peter Lewis, who had learning difficulties, died

after being stabbed in a communal hallway outside his flat in the

Roath area of the city at the weekend.

The future of this year's Brecon Jazz festival has been secured with

the announcement that a Cardiff- based company has been chosen to

promote the event. Orchard, who have previously organised Ponty's

Big Weekend will be funded for this year's festival, and in the Autumn

will submit plans for next year. A mother from Cardiff is standing

trial for the murder of her seven- year-old son and for setting fire

to their home to cover up the crime. The boy's father is also on trial

for failing to protect him. Yaseen Ege died in 2010 after being beaten.

Yaseen Ali edge was just seven years old when he died. A fire set

around his body to cover up the crime started with fluid used to

light barbeques. At Cardiff Crown Court today his mother mother Sara

Ege stands accused of his murder and starting the fire and his

father Yousuf Ali edge of failing to protect him. It was Sara Ege who

dialed 999. At first she claimed that the fire at their home in

Severn Road in Canton was an accident. But a post mortem exam

showed had died before the fire had started, he'd suffered abdominal

injuries and there were multiple injuries on his body. Later Sara

Ege admitted to the police that she had started the fire after he died

and that she had regularly beaten him. Most of the time I beat him,

she said. This afternoon the jury was shown a video of a police

interview with Sara Ege in which she said she'd heard voices telling

her to hit Yaseen. But after that interview she changed her account

blaming her husband Yousuf for all Yaseen's injuries and said she'd

taken he blame because she feared violence from him. The prosecution

say he must have known about the beatings his son was receiving and

known that his son was suffering pain. They shared a room because of

renovations that were going on in the house and he drove his son

everywhere but he failed to protect him. Both Sara And Yousuf Ali Ege

deny the charges against them. The case is set to last around five

The heavy metal singer Bruce Dickinson is creating at least 250

jobs at the St Athan military base in the Vale of Glamorgan. He's

setting up a company to overhaul commercial airliners, as well as

training engineering and flight staff. Our business correspondent

Nick Servini has more. We are more used to seeing Bruce Dickinson as

the lead singer of a heavy metal band. Today he was back in front of

a microphone but this time fielding questions about his new business.

It will start by maintaining aircraft with a few hundred staff.

The longer term plan is to train pilots and engineers as well. He is

already a qualified pilot and has a team behind him that he freely

admits to not having done anything on this scale before.

I'm not an engineer. In fact, I know enough about Engineering to

know that I don't want to put a spanner anywhere near an aircraft.

I will have him do it. I do understand what engineers do. I

understand the nature of the problems the business will face.

St Athan is a 1,000 acre site and it is full of empty hangars like

this one. This one has been empty since March when the RAF stopped

repairing aircraft here after 75 years. It will now have a different

future, maintaining commercial airliners. Will this idea get out

of the hangar? St Athan is in one of Wales enterprise zones, given

potential tax breaks. It has seen more than its fair share of

projects come and go, including plans for a defence training

academies. We would like to have done it

differently. Perhaps you would have done it differently. I think this

is quite real and on the back of this, we have had other interest on

the site. All we have to do now is market the size.

Bruce Dickinson believes there is a gap in the market but we will soon

see that if he is right when the keys to the hangar are handed over

in the summer. Much more to come before 7 o'clock:

It'll be a Welsh medal whoever wins at the Olympics and Paralympics.

Local election candidates are gearing up for the final day of

campaigning before voters go to the polls on Thursday. While there are

around a thousand local battles being fought, the election is being

seen as a key test for the political parties at a national

level. Our Welsh Affairs Editor Vaughan Roderick reports.

Rain or not, alas leaflets are being delivered and the last doors

are being knocked. Over 3,000 candidates are fighting for 1,200

seats. He Labour want to reclaim as many as possible of the seats on

councils lost in 2008. Atypical target is Flintshire. A former

stronghold lost four years ago. A poll suggests a victory could be

within their grasp. 48 % of those interviewed across Wales told the

poult they would be voting for Labour on Thursday. The

Conservatives were on 17 %, Independent on 15 %, Plaid Cymru on

14 % and the Liberal Democrats on 7%. In counties like Conwy, where

Labour is less of a force, they could be good news for the

Conservatives. Gains from independence and other parties

could offset losses to labour elsewhere. We are mid-term and

there has been traditionally some impact as a consequence of tough

decisions that governments tend to take in mid-term. But people have

got to realise in Wales that they have got to governments. They have

also got the Welsh Government and it is the Welsh Government that has

taken an awful lot of decisions that have impacted very badly.

Plaid Cymru hope that gains in rural areas may offset losses in

the east. Beating off Labour to hold on to power in Caerphilly will

be a tough ask. The new leader dropped by to lend a hand at a

local crisp factory. Labour have been complacent in some of these

communities and we need to make sure we have got a strong team of

community activists in every community throughout Wales so that

we can start building our economies and communities from the grassroots

up. Her but what to the voters make of other new Plaid Cymru leader?

She is second in popularity to Carwyn Jones, ahead of Kirsty

Williams and Andrew Davies. But in the valleys, Labour can hardly hide

their optimism. The last council elections took place against a very

negative backdrop of a Labour government introducing policies

that were not popular at the time. It was largely because of the

national scenario that we lost control in the first place. With

almost 100 fewer candidates than last time, the Liberal Democrats

are fighting a defensive battle, hoping local strength in places

like Cardiff will see them through. We are focusing our resources. We

are not standing as many candidates. In areas where we are strong, we

have seen an increase in the number of candidates. We are focusing our

resources. It is quality, not quantity that matters. He it will

be tee-time on Friday before the full picture across Wales is known.

With local government battles coming down to a handful of votes,

campaigning will go down to the wire.

How seriously should we take this polling data? There are some

caveats. It is difficult to poll because not everyone stands

everywhere. There may be people who say they will go Plaid Cymru or

Conservative, but then get to the polling station and find there are

no candidates for that party. This was also about a fortnight ago. But

it does show that Labour is strong. What has happened since should make

Labour even stronger with what is going on at the UK level. It is a

good indication of the Labour recovery that started in the

Assembly elections last year. seems to be a question of how well

will Labour do. I think it is entirely that. I think the party

will be trying to contain expectations. They will be trying

to get back outright control of councils. Some are easier than

others. Swansea and Newport might be low-lying fruit. If they can win

Cardiff, that would be the real test.

Give us back our bus service. That's the call from angry

residents of a Carmarthenshire village who travelled to the

Assembly today to make themselves heard. People living in Pencarreg

say the decision to re-route the Arriva bus in the Lampeter area has

left them stranded. Abigail Neal reports.

Ruth Jones' house has become campaign headquarters for a bus

service that's desperately missed. I was going to Lampeter getting my

shopping, pension, Dr, hospital. For 55 years, Ruth Jones caught the

hourly bus that stopped just outside her house in Pencarreg,

until two months ago, when Arriva took her village off route. The new

bus route turns off here in Llanybydder. Arriva say it changed

because they became a completely commercial service. Instead of

continuing along the main road to Lampeter, the bus now cuts up

towards Llanwnen and then back along the main route to Aberaeron.

That's left Pencarreg and Cwmann in the south and Cribyn to the north

cut off. Arriva say it enables them to run a faster and more effective

bus service. Fed up residents from Pencarreg paid for their own

minibus and set off for Cardiff Bay this morning, hoping political

pressure might change things. think they could have a partial

reintroduction at the very least. We see no reason why they can't

split. We are not asking for the hourly service we used to have, but

some sort of Schedule service four times a day would be a lifeline.

Bwcabus service run by the council was intended to fill the gap, but

it hasn't impressed some. I said, if I want someone to come with me,

or will they be able to? Not unless they are registered. It is

ridiculous. Meanwhile, in Llanybydder, the bus did eventually

turn up for the eleven o'clock service. Arriva told me the 10.04am

suffered a breakdown. The Pencarreg party got to their destination on

time, handing over a petition of 500 names and a message to the

Welsh Government to put them back on route.

The athletes are training hard and the medals they're hoping to win

this summer are being made a the Royal Mint in Llantrisant. The

Olympic medals are ready and the Paralympic medals are in their

final stage of production. Claire Summers has been given sneak

preview. It takes huge dedication to win a

medal and it takes a huge effort to make one. With thousands of Olympic

and Paralympic medals needed this summer, has a team of experts are

working on what will be the biggest and heaviest medals ever to be seen

at the Games. Colin will have been working at the Royal Mint 40 years

next week. He is responsible for a soldier in the amount to the metal

and he said it is a huge honour. Brilliant. Out of this world. It is

a one-off occasion. By the metal to make the medals comes from a copper

mine in America. They had shipped over more than eight tonnes of gold,

silver and copper. The medal shows any image of an outstretched wing

of the Greek goddess of victory and there is Braille on the edges for

the Paralympic medal. The Olympic medals, 4,700 and needed this

summer, and each medal will go through 22 processes before it is

finished. When we saw the designs on paper, it was exciting. When you

progress down the road of the project, we thought, we really have

to make these medals. We are still having sleepless nights because we

are still in production and the games is not moving. Thankfully we

are on track with the medals. The Olympic medals are competed well

ahead of the games and we are now into the Paralympic medals as well.

Her this is the striking room. This is where they get their impression

this stamp is very heavy. These are some of the medals that will

eventually become gold Paralympic medals when they are finished. Just

up there, that is the machine that does it is the plant in the centre

of the collar. They have got the top tier. We close the guard. Press

the buttons for it to go. We are here in the river in a room. The

final process. Here are the purple Paralympic ribbons and do you get

nervous putting the final touches to these metals? Nerve-racking,

absolutely nerve-racking. They are all as special as the other.

are you going to feel this summer watching the games and letting them

put their medals around their neck? Her really proud. I will tell my

son, that is what I did. athletes like Dai Green has been

working so hard to try and achieve this. The Olympic medal is the

dream and this summer one could be his. This is how it starts out and

22 processes later this is the end result. It feels quite an honour to

be holding this right now. In just under four months, it will be round

the neck of a worthy winner. Snooker, and Ryan Day has the upper

hand in the all-Welsh quarter-final at the World Championships in

Sheffield. It's brightened up a bit after the

I think we've seen the worst of the rain for the time being. It's dry

here at the moment, which makes a change. But after all the rain

we've had recently, the River Taff is still quite high. April in Wales

was one of the wettest in 100 years. We had about 75% more rainfall than

normal and five times more rain than April last year. Meanwhile,

John Goodger, who runs a weather station at Velindre near Glasbury

in Powys, recorded his wettest April on record. 236mm of rain,

almost three and half times the average. John's records go back 40

years. Some rivers are swollen. At the moment, there are two flood

warnings in force on the River Monnow and five flood alerts. The

next 24 hours, though, are looking much drier. So,. This evening rain

in parts of Mid Wales and the northwill die away. Most of the

country will be dry overnight. Plenty of cloud and some hill fog.

A few mist and fog patches forming. Clear in parts of the south and

west. The wind light with lowest temperatures around six degrees

Celsius. Tomorrow will be much drier than today. A grey start in

places with mist and fog patches. Bright in others. The best of the

sunshine in parts of the south and west. I wouldn't rule out the odd

shower but most places dry. Top temperatures between 12 and 16

degrees Celsius. It will feel pleasant in the sunshine with light

winds. Tomorrow night, a few showers, but otherwise dry. However,

rain may spread into the south later in the night. On Thursday,

the south could be wet with heavy rain for a time. The rain may

spread into Mid Wales but northern parts may stay dry, bright and

sunny. As for the Bank Holiday weekend, don't bank on it being

warm. It looks like turning cooler. A few showers but some dry and

bright weather likely as well. Temperatures nothing special and

cold enough at night for a touch of frost inland. So, much drier for a

change tomorrow. But there is a risk of more rain in the south on