:00:07. > :00:10.Welcome to Wales Today. Tonight, gas and electricity customers here
:00:10. > :00:14.reeling from news of another hike in their bills. This family already
:00:14. > :00:24.have a duvet in their lounge to keep warm. Now, they'll cut back on
:00:24. > :00:25.
:00:25. > :00:35.food to afford the higher prices. Instead of two pieces of bread with
:00:35. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:45.their dinner, it will be one piece Also tonight. Police say they'll
:00:45. > :00:48.continue their search for April Jones for as long as there's a
:00:48. > :00:58.realistic chance of finding her. The residents of a housing complex
:00:58. > :01:04.near Risca who fear for their safety after cuts to services.
:01:04. > :01:08.Good evening. It's a must-win game for Wales tonight. Captain Ashley
:01:08. > :01:14.Williams says the players are determined to beat Scotland for
:01:14. > :01:24.under fire manager Chris Coleman. And meet the new principal
:01:24. > :01:27.conductor of the BBC Wales National Orchestra, all the way from Denmark.
:01:27. > :01:32.Nearly half a million people in Wales will see their gas and
:01:32. > :01:37.electricity bills rise again this winter after British Gas and Npower
:01:37. > :01:42.both announced price increases. Swalec has already announced a rise
:01:42. > :01:48.for Monday. The changes could see the average dual fuel customer
:01:48. > :01:53.paying �100 more a year. Family budgets are already stretched.
:01:53. > :01:59.The fire is off and Jackie Robinson and her small daughters are under a
:01:59. > :02:03.duvet. This mother of four from Cardiff already pays �60 a week for
:02:03. > :02:10.energy. This price rise is the final straw and will mean serious
:02:10. > :02:16.sacrifices. Food, that if they have two pieces of bread with their
:02:16. > :02:21.dinner, I will have to cut it to one piece so that I can stretch it.
:02:21. > :02:25.Obviously, they have their slippers on and everything. But we have not
:02:25. > :02:35.hit the really cold snap yet. So that is the part that is going to
:02:35. > :02:36.
:02:37. > :02:46.worry me. British Gas has announced a six % increase. They are not
:02:47. > :02:51.
:02:51. > :02:56.alone. Scottish Power, which supplies North and Mid Wales has
:02:56. > :03:01.not announced anything yet but all companies claim rises are
:03:01. > :03:05.unavoidable. North Sea gas is declining and we import much of our
:03:05. > :03:11.gas and pay the market price for that. We are in competition with
:03:11. > :03:17.economies like China. Secondly, there is Updating of the pipes and
:03:17. > :03:27.wires which have been around since the 60s. We have to upgrade that
:03:27. > :03:31.now. Consumer Focus Wales say that the average cost of energy will be
:03:31. > :03:37.�1,209 a year and �100 more for people who do not pay by direct
:03:37. > :03:41.debit. Patricia Rich uses more an issue city than most because she
:03:42. > :03:46.has emphysema and need a ventilator to help her breathe at night. How
:03:46. > :03:55.household energy costs are now spiralling out of control. I was
:03:55. > :04:00.paying so much money a few months ago, �50 a week on each. I had
:04:00. > :04:06.pension credit but I had a mortgage to pay as well. I was borrowing
:04:06. > :04:13.money to pay bills. It is estimated 400,000 households in Wales already
:04:13. > :04:20.struggling to pay their bills. I am joined by Clare Francis who is
:04:20. > :04:24.head of content at MoneySupermarket .com. Many people will be concerned
:04:24. > :04:29.about these rises. Is there anything they can do to reduce
:04:29. > :04:37.their cost? He yes, as we have been hearing, people have been
:04:37. > :04:43.struggling. The good news is that there are savings to be made. There
:04:43. > :04:48.are cheaper deals available. You can save about �200 a year by
:04:48. > :04:54.switching. The best deals are online. You can fix the tariff for
:04:54. > :04:59.the next two Winters. The other thing that is worth doing is that
:04:59. > :05:03.many companies are offering free loft insulation. Offers like that
:05:03. > :05:07.are worth taking advantage of because your home becomes more
:05:07. > :05:12.energy efficient and that brings down your bills. Finally, there are
:05:12. > :05:19.discounts schemes available to it the more vulnerable, the elderly
:05:19. > :05:24.and those on low incomes. So people should give their energy suppliers
:05:24. > :05:29.a call to find that they are eligible. So potentially saving
:05:29. > :05:34.�200 a year by switching suppliers, that sounds appealing but how easy
:05:34. > :05:39.is it to switch? Some people have been with us it -- with the same
:05:39. > :05:42.supplier for years and it may seem daunting to switch. Many households
:05:42. > :05:48.have never switched and there is a belief that it is complicated and
:05:48. > :05:53.hard. It is not, the gas and electricity comes in in the same
:05:53. > :05:57.way it is just the company who supplies it that changes. If you go
:05:57. > :06:01.online, you can identify the cheapest chat -- tariff. You will
:06:01. > :06:07.be asked for your current supplier and the amount you are currently
:06:07. > :06:10.paying. It will display the cheapest tariff and you can click
:06:10. > :06:16.through and you new provider will arrange the transfer for you. Or
:06:16. > :06:21.you have to do is provide a meter reading at the time the transfer
:06:21. > :06:24.takes place. A secondary school in Gwent has
:06:24. > :06:26.been closed until further notice because of an asbestos scare.
:06:26. > :06:29.Caerphilly Council says it's taking "immediate and decisive action"
:06:29. > :06:31.after receiving a structural report on Cwmcarn High School. It said
:06:31. > :06:39.it's working on alternative plans to accommodate the 943 pupils
:06:39. > :06:44.elsewhere. Police in the Machynlleth say they
:06:44. > :06:50.will carry on the search for April Jones untapped -- as long as there
:06:50. > :06:56.is a realistic chance of finding her. 46-year-old local man Mark
:06:56. > :07:01.Bridger has been charged with murdering her. An appeal has raised
:07:01. > :07:10.a huge amount a matter of days. They have been searching for 11
:07:10. > :07:14.days. Mark Bridger was renting this house in the village, file -- five
:07:14. > :07:17.miles from Machynlleth. He has been charged with the abduction and
:07:17. > :07:23.murder of April Jones and attempting to pervert the course of
:07:23. > :07:31.justice. The five-year-old was last seen playing near home on the 1st
:07:31. > :07:36.October. Police focused on the river that runs through land nearby.
:07:36. > :07:40.Many people have been sent home after an exhausting period since
:07:40. > :07:45.the search began. They have been replaced by officers from other
:07:45. > :07:52.Welsh forces and across the border. I have had to send him home, I have
:07:52. > :07:58.a duty of care to those people. We have to look after each other and
:07:58. > :08:02.ourselves. Their commitment is outstanding and so is that of our
:08:02. > :08:08.colleagues from across the country who have come up. I have had the
:08:08. > :08:12.opportunity of speaking to some of them. The effort of volunteers to
:08:12. > :08:22.support the police continues. Food is being donated and today, it was
:08:22. > :08:22.
:08:22. > :08:28.revealed that an appeal fund has raised almost �200,000. It has come
:08:28. > :08:36.from America, we have had money from Scotland, taxi-drivers, it is
:08:36. > :08:41.international. Messages of hope and pink ribbons are everywhere.
:08:41. > :08:44.Tonight, during the international in Cardiff, Wales and Scotland
:08:44. > :08:48.footballer as well wear a pink ribbon on their tracksuits as a
:08:48. > :08:52.message of support. The Secretary of State for Wales
:08:52. > :09:00.has been urged to visit four-mile Remploy workers in Wrexham to
:09:00. > :09:03.explain why the bid to buy the company has not been accepted. The
:09:03. > :09:11.Department for Work and Pensions says it has not received a viable
:09:11. > :09:15.bid. All we need to happen it is for the board of Remploy to say yes,
:09:15. > :09:19.and we are not asking them for money. We just want them to
:09:19. > :09:25.negotiate. Elderly people living in Naish
:09:25. > :09:30.specialist sheltered housing complex in Crosskeys near Risca say
:09:30. > :09:37.their health is being put at risk in order to save money. They say
:09:37. > :09:43.care is being withdrawn to save money by Caerphilly council.
:09:43. > :09:48.89-year-old Muriel Tucker's biggest fear is falling. So when she broke
:09:48. > :09:58.her pelvis, she gave up her home of 20 years and moved here for extra
:09:58. > :09:59.
:09:59. > :10:03.support. If I fell down here, somebody was here to see to me.
:10:03. > :10:11.by Caerphilly Council, this is called an extra care scheme. The
:10:11. > :10:16.idea was to promote independence for people who do not need all the
:10:16. > :10:21.care a residential homes provides. But it is looking to make savings
:10:21. > :10:30.like all care homes. So it decided to cut -- the country council
:10:30. > :10:36.decided to cut the number of hours a. It says that the needs of people
:10:36. > :10:42.can be met by people coming in occasionally. In a statement, the
:10:42. > :10:48.council said that the current situation is not sustainable and
:10:48. > :10:52.the option that has been agreed is the best way forward. The national
:10:52. > :10:56.charity for all the people in Wales say that such schemes have should
:10:56. > :11:02.be seen as part of the way forward as more or the people want to live
:11:02. > :11:07.independently for longer. Extra care homes are really important
:11:08. > :11:13.because it is a halfway between residential accommodation and care
:11:13. > :11:23.accommodation. It helps to maintain their independence. David Porter
:11:23. > :11:27.
:11:27. > :11:33.who has progressive dementia came here from other accommodation.
:11:33. > :11:39.they were not here, I don't know how I could manage. Muriel Tucker's
:11:39. > :11:49.de Coeur says that her mother is so distraught she has said that if the
:11:49. > :11:50.
:11:50. > :11:54.changes go through, she would rather die. I was hurt. After their
:11:54. > :11:57.attempt to lobby the council failed, the resident pro have caught on the
:11:57. > :12:03.old people's Commissioner to fight their case.
:12:03. > :12:08.Still ahead tonight, all the day's sport, it is rugby this weekend and
:12:08. > :12:18.a must-win game for Chris Coleman's men tonight. The Tartan Army have
:12:18. > :12:21.
:12:21. > :12:31.arrived, it is a Wales or Scotland Subtitle That's it.
:12:31. > :12:39.
:12:40. > :12:42.Join me here on BBC Two at 11.20pm The Welsh Government has criticised
:12:42. > :12:44.what it describes as misleading statements made by the chair of
:12:44. > :12:47.governors at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Barbara Wilding has
:12:47. > :12:49.raised concerns that the Education Minister is supporting the creation
:12:50. > :12:52.of a "super university" in south east Wales without knowing the
:12:53. > :12:55.costs or risks involved. The Welsh Government says he hasn't taken a
:12:55. > :12:57.decision, and has absolute confidence in his officials. The
:12:57. > :13:00.outgoing head of the body that funds higher education here
:13:00. > :13:03.believes a business case isn't always available at this point in
:13:03. > :13:05.the merger process. You can't at a stage like this. You need to look
:13:05. > :13:09.into how quickly things will happen, the sequence. Only then can you
:13:09. > :13:14.start to put costs together. You have to have the imaginative leap
:13:14. > :13:17.first. We think we should raise our sights to a vision for what is best
:13:17. > :13:20.for the people of Wales. It comes as Swansea Metropolitan
:13:20. > :13:25.University and the University of Wales: Trinity Saint David
:13:26. > :13:28.officially merge today. Let's talk to the former Vice Chancellor at
:13:28. > :13:30.Swansea Met, now the new university's Senior Provost. So
:13:31. > :13:40.what will this merger mean for current students, what changes will
:13:41. > :13:41.
:13:41. > :13:45.they notice? Current students will hardly notice anything. They will
:13:45. > :13:52.still have the same programmes by the same people in the same places.
:13:52. > :14:00.That is part of our objective of business as usual. So well anything
:14:00. > :14:04.changed, then? Of course. We have now gained a royal charter. In fact,
:14:04. > :14:09.the third oldest royal charter in higher education in England and
:14:09. > :14:18.Wales. The ranking order is the Oxford colleges, the Cambridge
:14:18. > :14:28.colleges and ass. That seems about right to me. On a more serious note,
:14:28. > :14:29.
:14:29. > :14:35.it is going to... Willetts save money? Mergers can save money, but
:14:36. > :14:40.that is not the primary objective of them. The primary objective is
:14:40. > :14:43.to simply do things better and do more of them. Barbara Wilding,
:14:43. > :14:46.chair of governors at Cardiff Met which is facing a merger, expressed
:14:46. > :14:54.her concerns - job losses, high costs, high risk. Is she right to
:14:54. > :14:58.be worried? Of course, both myself and the new vice chancellor of the
:14:59. > :15:04.Combined University have made pledges that there will be no
:15:04. > :15:09.compulsory redundancies as a direct result of the merger. So in our
:15:10. > :15:15.case, that is not the case. I cannot speak in detail about what
:15:15. > :15:20.will happen in the south-east, but I would hope, and it is possible to
:15:20. > :15:25.undertake mergers without either redundancies or campus closures.
:15:25. > :15:28.Professor David Warner, thank you very much.
:15:28. > :15:31.Let's turn to sport now, and it's a huge night for Chris Coleman's men.
:15:31. > :15:41.Claire's at the Cardiff City Stadium ahead of kick-off. Claire?
:15:41. > :15:45.Good evening. It's serious business here tonight. Serious weather, too
:15:45. > :15:48.- the heavens have opened. For Wales and manager Chris Coleman, a
:15:48. > :15:51.must-win game against Scotland if they are to keep alive any faint
:15:51. > :15:55.hopes of qualifying for the World Cup. Well, the Tartan Army have
:15:55. > :15:58.arrived. They've been out on the streets of Cardiff today enjoying
:15:58. > :16:03.the sunshine. 21,000 tickets have been sold for the game - the
:16:03. > :16:07.Scottish allocation just under 6,000. But we're expecting a few
:16:08. > :16:10.more than that in here tonight, and they will make plenty of noise. Of
:16:10. > :16:20.course, both sides are under pressure, but Wales captain Ashley
:16:20. > :16:24.
:16:24. > :16:27.Williams says the players owe Chris A manager under pressure? Not so,
:16:28. > :16:33.according to the players. But Chris Coleman is certainly in the
:16:33. > :16:38.spotlight. Wales have only scored one goal this year, and have yet to
:16:38. > :16:45.win under him. But the messages, he is still the man to transform Wales.
:16:45. > :16:49.I have been in charge for four games, and we haven't won yet. On
:16:49. > :16:55.the back of somebody who won four out of the last five. But I knew
:16:55. > :16:59.that when I walked in the door. They want results, and I know that.
:17:00. > :17:06.But I have been happy this week with the players, and the way they
:17:06. > :17:10.are going about their business. There is a good mood in the camp.
:17:10. > :17:15.And the player's second that. All week they have been vocal in their
:17:15. > :17:19.support. Ashley Williams will captain Wales this evening. He says
:17:19. > :17:26.Coleman's reputation is on the minds of the players. All the boys
:17:26. > :17:36.really like him, and we have enjoyed working with him. He is
:17:36. > :17:36.
:17:36. > :17:41.going to be criticised, obviously, but I don't think he deserves it.
:17:41. > :17:46.We have let him down on the pitch. We have let him down on the pitch.
:17:46. > :17:51.The table shows the mountain Wales have to climb. They are bottom
:17:51. > :17:57.after losing. Over the years, matches against our Celtic cousins
:17:57. > :18:01.have been just as important. 1977 at Anfield, when both needed a
:18:01. > :18:06.result to keep their World Cup dreams alive. It was a game that
:18:06. > :18:14.went down in history, marred by the infamous Joe Jordan handball
:18:14. > :18:19.incident. It resulted in a contra version -- controversial penalty.
:18:19. > :18:24.The visitors feel Wales's thrashing in Serbia could inspire a battling
:18:24. > :18:31.in Serbia could inspire a battling spirit from within. I am worried
:18:31. > :18:37.about quite a lot of things. Any team that has a poor result will
:18:37. > :18:41.come out for the next match full of determination to prove that wrong.
:18:41. > :18:51.So the class of 2012 have a chance to redeem themselves and the
:18:51. > :18:52.
:18:53. > :19:02.manager tonight. It is another make-or-break battle with the Scots.
:19:02. > :19:06.Matt Jones joins me tonight. Let's talk about the pressure. Ashley
:19:06. > :19:12.Williams says they owe the manager of victory. Have they let him down?
:19:12. > :19:16.I think he will take the captaincy all guns firing. He has fire in his
:19:16. > :19:22.stomach, and he needs to grab the ball by the horns. It is a
:19:22. > :19:25.wonderful way of deflecting away from a hesitant squad that we saw
:19:25. > :19:30.against Belgium, where the talking point was Gary Speed, and wanting
:19:30. > :19:33.to do this be Gary, because it was his dream. Tonight it was an
:19:33. > :19:39.apology to Chris Coleman for the performance against Serbia, and
:19:39. > :19:43.that is what will kick-start this campaign for Wales. It is added
:19:43. > :19:51.pressure for Chris Coleman, the players and the Scottish side, as
:19:51. > :19:57.well. Everybody is expecting a massive performance. Everyone is
:19:57. > :20:00.eagerly awaiting goals, and Wales not leaking any, either. It was
:20:00. > :20:04.always going to be a difficult transition for whoever took over
:20:04. > :20:10.Gary Speed. How long do think the fans and the FAW will give Chris
:20:10. > :20:19.Coleman? I think until the end of his career, a two-year span. Every
:20:19. > :20:22.manager needs a time and earned his Justice. I will continue to
:20:22. > :20:25.reiterate this. I don't know any player or manager that has ever
:20:25. > :20:31.gone through those before, and if it was me representing Wales in
:20:31. > :20:36.that Richard, I would be finding it very hard every time I came to my
:20:36. > :20:45.home stadium to play. Enjoy the game, Matt, thank you. He is part
:20:45. > :20:48.of the radio team tonight. Build up to the game from seven on BBC Radio
:20:48. > :20:52.Wales and Radio Cymru. And you can watch the highlights on Match of
:20:52. > :20:55.the Day Wales on BBC Two Wales at 11 tonight. Rugby's Heineken Cup
:20:55. > :21:05.kicks off this evening. It's never been won by a Welsh region, and the
:21:05. > :21:07.
:21:07. > :21:10.challenge will be even greater this Only the best sides win the
:21:11. > :21:15.Heineken Cup, and tonight the quest begins to see if any of our
:21:15. > :21:20.region's belong in that bracket. The ospreys have shown they can
:21:20. > :21:30.defeat the biggest teams. Leicester and Toulouse have won the Cup six
:21:30. > :21:33.
:21:33. > :21:36.We really have our work cut out. For me, it is the one thing missing,
:21:36. > :21:42.the one thing we haven't been fortunate enough to be part of in
:21:42. > :21:49.my career. After the start we have had done everything we have gone to,
:21:49. > :21:59.we have worked hard for each other. Wales's best side this evening, the
:21:59. > :22:01.
:22:01. > :22:06.Scarlet, could argue that it is We were speaking as a group before.
:22:06. > :22:11.We spoke of what the night may group would be, and I think it was
:22:11. > :22:17.Clermont and Leicester were in there. So we picked a tough game,
:22:17. > :22:27.but we have had tough groups in the past and done well. The Blues made
:22:27. > :22:28.
:22:28. > :22:32.the quarter-final last year, and a hopeful of a defeat -- of victory.
:22:32. > :22:38.Sunday's opponents have yet to get a win. They have world-class
:22:38. > :22:44.players, so it is going to be tough. I don't know what will happen this
:22:44. > :22:50.weekend. We are coming into the Champions' League of rugby, so I
:22:50. > :22:56.think it will be a top quality game. The Dragons didn't qualify, so they
:22:56. > :23:03.are in the second Tia, but they have intriguing opener against the
:23:03. > :23:07.London Wasps. After an unforgettable summer,
:23:07. > :23:09.Olympic silver medallist Fred Evans was back at his boxing gym in
:23:09. > :23:11.Newport today with some fresh-faced sparring partners. The welterweight
:23:11. > :23:21.from Cardiff was giving a masterclass to local schoolchildren,
:23:21. > :23:22.
:23:22. > :23:26.hoping to inspire a new generation of boxers. Derek arrived earlier
:23:26. > :23:36.after the beautiful sunshine and said it was going to rain. You got
:23:36. > :23:41.
:23:41. > :23:44.The Scots are going to be a bit chilly in their kilts tonight, but
:23:44. > :23:47.like the Welsh they're used to the cold and rain as well. The fans may
:23:47. > :23:50.encounter heavy showers on their way to the game this evening, and
:23:50. > :23:54.on their way home as well. What about the weekend? Well, showers
:23:54. > :23:57.are forecast. Mist, fog and ground frost, too, but I can promise some
:23:57. > :23:59.fine weather and sunshine as well. This evening it's a case of dodging
:23:59. > :24:02.the showers. Heavy in places with hail and thunder. Overnight
:24:02. > :24:04.scattered showers with some dry, clear weather as well. Chilly -
:24:04. > :24:08.lowest temperatures three Celsius. Tomorrow's chart shows low pressure
:24:08. > :24:10.over Scotland. The air over Wales will be unstable with a few
:24:10. > :24:14.towering clouds. So tomorrow a mixture of cloud, sunshine and
:24:14. > :24:17.showers. If you catch a shower it could be heavy, but they will be
:24:17. > :24:19.hit and miss. Some places will stay dry. Top temperatures 10 to 13
:24:19. > :24:23.Celsius with a chilly west to northwesterly breeze. In
:24:23. > :24:26.Carmarthenshire I wouldn't rule out a shower. Otherwise dry. Sunshine
:24:26. > :24:33.in Burry Port with a high of 11 in Llandovery. In Denbighshire there
:24:33. > :24:35.is a greater risk of showers. Heavy in places, but some sunshine at
:24:35. > :24:40.times. Temperatures in Llangollen peaking at 11 Celsius. Tomorrow
:24:40. > :24:43.night showers around the coast. Elsewhere most places dry. Mist and
:24:43. > :24:46.fog patches forming and turning cold with a widespread ground frost.
:24:46. > :24:49.Sunday, a cold start. Mist and fog patches will lift. One or two
:24:49. > :24:52.showers in the north, otherwise plenty of dry weather. Some
:24:52. > :24:55.sunshine as well. If you're taking part in the Cardiff Half Marathon
:24:55. > :25:01.on Sunday morning, the weather should be in good shape. Chilly but
:25:01. > :25:08.dry, with sunshine and little wind. That's the forecast. And good luck
:25:08. > :25:18.to Wales tonight. It won't be wet all weekend, I promise. The
:25:18. > :25:22.Football kicks off at 7:45pm. Back A full report on that game in our
:25:22. > :25:24.evening bulletin at 10:25pm. Well, we've already got a man from
:25:24. > :25:28.Denmark managing one of our football clubs, now another Dane is
:25:28. > :25:31.set to take to the stage in Wales. Thomas Sondergaard will lead the
:25:31. > :25:39.BBC National Orchestra of Wales for the first time tonight. Our Arts
:25:39. > :25:48.Correspondent Huw Thomas went to Feeling every note, Thomas
:25:48. > :25:52.Sondergaard prepares for his first He'll lead the BBC National
:25:52. > :25:57.Orchestra of Wales for the next four years, and promises
:25:57. > :26:02.performances from a wide repertoire of music. I like a lot of different
:26:02. > :26:07.music. I am sure the audience in Wales and where we are going to
:26:07. > :26:15.travel also like many different things, and I will like to do a lot
:26:15. > :26:20.of different things, because I feel There have been many conductors at
:26:20. > :26:30.the helm of the orchestra during its 84 year history, performing to
:26:30. > :26:37.audiences at home and around the Thomas Sondergaard is the first
:26:37. > :26:42.Dane to hold a bat on, and he has excited the critics. I think the
:26:42. > :26:47.conductor has the potential to be a real driving force in the new
:26:47. > :26:53.relationship between players and the audiences across Wales. He is a
:26:53. > :27:00.very exciting contractor, and a very engaging personality. -- a
:27:00. > :27:04.very exciting conductor. A busy international schedule means Thomas
:27:04. > :27:09.Sondergaard will live in Denmark and commute to his job in Cardiff.
:27:09. > :27:12.And while he has already spent hours in rehearsals, audiences
:27:12. > :27:19.tonight will finally here at the impact this new conductor is having
:27:19. > :27:23.on the National Orchestra of why else.
:27:23. > :27:26.It is coming up to 7 o'clock. The main news: The biggest-ever
:27:26. > :27:32.investigation into police Ron Dearing is to be carried out into a
:27:32. > :27:38.damning report on the Hillsborough disaster. It will be decided of any
:27:38. > :27:41.police should face criminal charges. We'll have a quick update for you