:00:00. > :00:00.arrives on Friday. Can't wait! That's all from the BBC News at
:00:00. > :01:04.Good evening. In a major blow to the economy in Northeast Wales, the
:01:05. > :01:08.electronics manufacturer Sharp is to end production of solar panels at
:01:09. > :01:13.its factory near Wrexham. 250 workers are being made redundant. A
:01:14. > :01:18.further 365 agency staff will lose their jobs. The company says it
:01:19. > :01:23.can't continue to build solar panels at the site because of the costs
:01:24. > :01:31.involved. Here's our business correspondent Brian Meechan. It has
:01:32. > :01:34.been providing good well-paid jobs to the Wrexham area for almost 30
:01:35. > :01:40.years. They started off building microwaves. That business will
:01:41. > :01:46.remain at the site. Next year would have been a decade since they began
:01:47. > :01:49.producing solar panels. The company announced it would cease production
:01:50. > :01:57.in February. Over 600 people will lose their jobs. They have been here
:01:58. > :02:05.for almost four decades. It will have a huge impact on families and
:02:06. > :02:11.Wrexham itself. Solar panels had been fitted in various locations
:02:12. > :02:17.from council houses and Wrexham to the Eden Project in Cornwall. The
:02:18. > :02:23.company says it can not continue to Manufacturer them in Wales for cost
:02:24. > :02:31.reasons. We support the Welsh supply chain and if we install them
:02:32. > :02:38.domestically on a house, Welsh homeowners will support panels made
:02:39. > :02:40.in Wales. Most of what we do is tailored for the commercial market
:02:41. > :02:47.and that is very sensitive. This is very location that a commercial
:02:48. > :02:54.client with specified they will pay a premium for Welsh panels. The
:02:55. > :03:00.company will be seeking voluntary redundancies. This is terrible news.
:03:01. > :03:08.650 families affected just before Christmas. At any time of year it
:03:09. > :03:15.would be a huge blow, but it comes following the announcement by first
:03:16. > :03:22.milk. We have to pull together. The Welsh Government will have to do
:03:23. > :03:29.what it can to see whether we can all -- develop alternative lines for
:03:30. > :03:31.production here. It could not be those names as workers face an
:03:32. > :03:35.uncertain future. Let's talk to the MP for Wrexham,
:03:36. > :03:40.Ian Lucas. He joins us now from Westminster. Ian Lucas, your
:03:41. > :03:47.reaction to this news. It is terrible news for Wrexham ethically
:03:48. > :03:54.for those just before Christmas. It is a black day for the town. They
:03:55. > :04:02.have worked so hard. Why has this happened? I think there are a number
:04:03. > :04:07.of factors involved. There has been demand -- a deduction on demand
:04:08. > :04:11.across Europe and there has been a deduction in domestic demand. You
:04:12. > :04:15.mentioned that council houses and Wrexham are fitted with solar panels
:04:16. > :04:18.put up with a grateful for this book for that. The extension across
:04:19. > :04:23.social housing has been produced by the government. We also heard a lot
:04:24. > :04:28.of loose talk about renewable energy policy which make it very difficult
:04:29. > :04:32.when you are fighting for investment in a globalised economy to bring in
:04:33. > :04:39.national companies to Britain. We have seen other companies go. We
:04:40. > :04:45.fought very hard ten years ago for this production. The company will
:04:46. > :04:50.disagree with your analysis. They say many of the panels are shipped
:04:51. > :04:58.to Japan. Production is simply moving closer to where they are
:04:59. > :05:01.sold. The reason they are being shipped to Japan is because of the
:05:02. > :05:06.collapse in the European market. The original investment was to feed the
:05:07. > :05:13.European market. This was a production line which was expanding
:05:14. > :05:17.up until 2010. We have had a few thousand people working on the
:05:18. > :05:23.production line and Wrexham. The reduction in the workforce that has
:05:24. > :05:25.taken place in the last two years is to to international factors but also
:05:26. > :05:30.to domestic government policy as well. There is confusion about
:05:31. > :05:36.renewable energy policy. It is a valuable resource for jobs. We are
:05:37. > :05:48.desperately sad to be losing them today. What about the prospect for
:05:49. > :05:53.hundreds of families? It is very difficult. I will do my utmost with
:05:54. > :05:59.companies who are staying and Wrexham, they will be at retaining
:06:00. > :06:02.their microwave production the top this day could have been even
:06:03. > :06:07.blacker because they could have withdrawn from Wrexham entirely. We
:06:08. > :06:18.will fight to bring new products to Wrexham. We got new products in
:06:19. > :06:21.2004. We will try to do that again. The company have made a clear
:06:22. > :06:27.statement tonight. This is quite simply about the product being sold
:06:28. > :06:30.in greater numbers in Japan. Production is simply moving closer
:06:31. > :06:34.to where it is sold in greater numbers because it is a cheaper way
:06:35. > :06:42.of doing business. It is about the market isn't it? The company has
:06:43. > :06:45.said to us that over the last year, almost all of these products have
:06:46. > :06:50.been sold in Japan and it does not make economic sense to manufacture
:06:51. > :06:55.solar panels relatively extensively in Wales when you are then sending
:06:56. > :06:59.them over to Japan. There are various other places in Asia which
:07:00. > :07:04.you could manufacture. China being the classic examples of you could do
:07:05. > :07:10.it much cheaper and you would not have the transportation cost. It is
:07:11. > :07:17.the rise in the Japanese market as well. These are hundreds of highly
:07:18. > :07:21.skilled manufacturing jobs. What does it say about the state of the
:07:22. > :07:28.Welsh economy? They are very well-paid jobs. The company has a 30
:07:29. > :07:36.year relationship with Wrexham. The global market is as it is. It is
:07:37. > :07:38.cheaper in many ways to manufacture goods in some other countries and it
:07:39. > :07:46.is difficult to compete with that unless you can upscale and provide
:07:47. > :07:51.skills you cannot get anywhere else. Or you can manufacture goods that
:07:52. > :07:55.you cannot manufacture elsewhere. We had the Federation of small
:07:56. > :08:00.businesses this morning talking about household businesses taking on
:08:01. > :08:03.workers and we had the biggest recruitment agency in with talking
:08:04. > :08:19.about how workers are being taken on in the construction industry. A
:08:20. > :08:30.quick statement tonight. It is they trigger the closure. It is of great
:08:31. > :08:39.sadness to the company. That statement from DEC. Now the rest of
:08:40. > :08:42.the names. -- news. Mark Bridger, the man convicted of
:08:43. > :08:46.murdering April Jones, is seeking leave to appeal against the severity
:08:47. > :08:50.of his sentence. In May a judge told him he'd spend the rest of his life
:08:51. > :08:53.in prison after he was found guilty of abducting and murdering the five
:08:54. > :08:56.year old. He's never said what happened to her body. April Jones
:08:57. > :09:04.went missing from outside her home in Machynlleth in October last year.
:09:05. > :09:10.The pink ribbon tied to railings at the centre of town for the second
:09:11. > :09:15.Christmas since her disappearance. The little girl has not been
:09:16. > :09:22.forgotten here. In the months since the trial, the town is trying to
:09:23. > :09:29.move on. I hope they do not grant him that. The tragedy still affect
:09:30. > :09:36.everyone. They do not want to see him released. It is a horrendous
:09:37. > :09:43.crime. He deserves to stay there for the full sentence. April Jones was
:09:44. > :09:48.five when she went missing in October last year. Throughout his
:09:49. > :09:54.trial, Mark Bridger denied murdering her that he said he did accidentally
:09:55. > :09:58.kill her when he ran her over the top he never said what happened to
:09:59. > :10:05.her body. In passing sentence the judge told him he was a glib liar
:10:06. > :10:08.and a paedophile who have both sexual and morbid fantasies about
:10:09. > :10:17.young girls. The judge jailed Mark Bridger for the rest of his life.
:10:18. > :10:21.What the evidence show an act of pure evil was committed to stop only
:10:22. > :10:26.backbencher knows the extent of that evil and he should look within
:10:27. > :10:31.himself for continuing to cause this trauma for all the people of the
:10:32. > :10:39.area but particularly the people most affected. Hull life sentences
:10:40. > :10:47.and legally contentious. Others have successfully had their sentences
:10:48. > :10:55.overturned on human rights grounds. He will be arguing that he should
:10:56. > :11:00.have the right to appeal. The Mark Bridger, the start of another legal
:11:01. > :11:04.process. We do not know how it will turn out. For the town, another
:11:05. > :11:10.barrier to move on. A mine manager has pleaded not
:11:11. > :11:13.guilty to manslaughter over the deaths of four miners at the
:11:14. > :11:17.Gleision Colliery. Malcolm Fyfield, on the left of your picture, was
:11:18. > :11:21.manager of the drift mine in the Swansea Valley when it flooded in
:11:22. > :11:24.September 2011. The company who operated it, MNS Mining, also
:11:25. > :11:30.pleaded not guilty to corporate manslaughter charges at the hearing
:11:31. > :11:33.at Swansea Crown Court. A woman who has admitted trafficking
:11:34. > :11:37.crystal meth into Indonesia could be given a 16-year jail sentence.
:11:38. > :11:40.Andrea Waldeck, originally from Talgarth in Powys, had faced a
:11:41. > :11:48.possible death sentence, but prosecutors have called for a jail
:11:49. > :11:50.term and a 200,000-dollar fine. The former police community support
:11:51. > :11:56.officer had been working for Gloucestershire Police until
:11:57. > :12:01.February last year. The latest developments in Welsh
:12:02. > :12:06.rugby now. Here's Claire. Good evening. It's been a busy day
:12:07. > :12:09.at the home of welsh rugby with a series of meetings and one big
:12:10. > :12:12.announcement. Wales coach Warren Gatland has signed a contract
:12:13. > :12:18.extension that will keep him in charge of the national side until
:12:19. > :12:21.the 2019 Rugby World Cup. But rumbling below the surface, the gap
:12:22. > :12:26.between the Welsh Rugby Union and the regions seems to be wider than
:12:27. > :12:30.ever. The regions have called for an independent public inquiry into
:12:31. > :12:38.their funding. Gareth Lewis has been following the day's developments.
:12:39. > :12:43.The award to keep coming from Warren Gatland. Coach of the year last
:12:44. > :12:55.night and now he will become the first man to take Wales to three
:12:56. > :13:03.world cups. For me, it was a big decision to want to continue but
:13:04. > :13:08.hopefully what we have created. How many international players will be
:13:09. > :13:13.playing in 2015 remains to be seen. Richard Hibbard became the latest to
:13:14. > :13:17.leave. He will be at Gloucester next season. Warren Gatland said the
:13:18. > :13:28.current uncertainty is affecting his players. A couple of performances in
:13:29. > :13:32.the game against Australia were below par as a result of this was up
:13:33. > :13:41.there was a lot going on in the players minds about their future and
:13:42. > :13:44.the uncertainty over contracts. The legions called for an independent
:13:45. > :13:49.enquiry into the way they are funded. They do not believe they get
:13:50. > :13:59.a third and a slice of the cash. In private, the union pointed out the
:14:00. > :14:04.legions have a seat on that board. The legions are still holding back
:14:05. > :14:09.from training a new agreement with the Welsh Rugby union. They argue it
:14:10. > :14:15.does not provide enough funding when wages are rising. If they do not
:14:16. > :14:19.signed by New Year's Eve, the Welsh Rugby union could stop their
:14:20. > :14:28.funding. In public, the union is saying very little. As you know, I
:14:29. > :14:32.have always been an optimist. The glass is always half full and it
:14:33. > :14:39.always solutions to be achieved. That has always been my position. It
:14:40. > :14:45.is the battle for hearts and minds as the deadline approaches. The
:14:46. > :14:47.union has been meeting fans groups this afternoon and is meeting the
:14:48. > :14:50.players union this evening. Ashleigh Crowter is outside the
:14:51. > :14:58.Millennium for us tonight. A day of comings and goings and another
:14:59. > :15:02.meeting just finished? Yes, a meeting has just finished and that
:15:03. > :15:12.is a meeting taking place as we meet. That is a lot to lose if this
:15:13. > :15:16.dispute cannot be sorted out. Over half an hour ago, we saw a
:15:17. > :15:24.delegation of regional rugby layers making their way in and among them
:15:25. > :15:32.some senior internationals. I think the players feel they have not had
:15:33. > :15:35.direct communication about the current dispute between the union
:15:36. > :15:40.and the legions. They wanted to hear first-hand with things like. This
:15:41. > :15:46.could have a major effect on their futures. Fans also had a meeting and
:15:47. > :15:51.they have just left. They will go away and discuss between themselves
:15:52. > :15:54.what happened tonight. We expect a statement tomorrow morning.
:15:55. > :15:57.I'll have more on the rest of the day's sport a little later.
:15:58. > :16:01.Much more to come before seven o'clock.
:16:02. > :16:05.A discordant note for some Welsh musicians. They lose their royalties
:16:06. > :16:09.battle for higher payment with the BBC.
:16:10. > :16:10.We're backstage on the set of the latest Hobbit film with one of
:16:11. > :16:23.Hollywood's rising stars. Our supermarkets operate seven days
:16:24. > :16:27.a week and now our top doctors may be called on to do the same. The
:16:28. > :16:33.Welsh Government says it is looking at strengthening arrangements for
:16:34. > :16:36.consultants to work at the weekend. The expert who's been tasked with
:16:37. > :16:39.examining the idea for the Government says it is a radical
:16:40. > :16:42.change with potential to help. Currently according to research
:16:43. > :16:51.you're more likely to die if you are admitted to hospital on a Sunday
:16:52. > :16:57.than in the week. They already have emergency care seven days a week in
:16:58. > :16:59.Newport. In other parts of Wales, who were consultants work at
:17:00. > :17:05.weekends. It is because their contract that run up individually
:17:06. > :17:10.and depend on their speciality and which has board employs them.
:17:11. > :17:14.Russell Hopkins has seen the issue from both sides and that the current
:17:15. > :17:20.situation is endangering patients. A former consultant himself, when he
:17:21. > :17:26.had a hip operation, congregations meant he was left with bladder and
:17:27. > :17:32.nerve damage and he did not see a consultant for four days. On a big
:17:33. > :17:36.case, I would pop in to see the patient and calm in the next day to
:17:37. > :17:42.see that everything was well. The European working time directive has
:17:43. > :17:49.changed things. Consultant contract have changed. The whole system has
:17:50. > :17:54.changed that it has endangered patients by doing so. The latest
:17:55. > :18:00.figures show why that is cause for concern. Hospital death rate on a
:18:01. > :18:06.Wednesday are under 5.5% for the bed eyes and weekend and stand up more
:18:07. > :18:09.than 6% at -- on Sunday. The government said some change will be
:18:10. > :18:13.needed and it is looking to strengthen arrangements was up the
:18:14. > :18:16.British Medical Association believes the case has been made for change
:18:17. > :18:22.but says it must be backed with money. We are talking about having
:18:23. > :18:30.more consultant present at the weekend and the BMA is fully in
:18:31. > :18:33.support of that. But without having more consultant, it will mean
:18:34. > :18:42.consultant and not working during the week as much. If you view of
:18:43. > :18:45.services in England has advised that senior doctors and key diagnostic
:18:46. > :18:50.tests are available seven days a week. It is envisaged that these
:18:51. > :18:55.plans could be applied to unscheduled care within the years.
:18:56. > :18:59.Anyways, that is growing that change must come. The Royal College of
:19:00. > :19:02.physicians once what is happening here in Newport to be adopted across
:19:03. > :19:05.the UK. An agency representing hundreds of
:19:06. > :19:09.Welsh language musicians has lost its bid to secure an annual payment
:19:10. > :19:12.of ?1.5 million from the BBC. Eos has been in dispute with the
:19:13. > :19:15.Corporation over the amount of royalty fees that are paid when a
:19:16. > :19:20.Welsh language artist is broadcast on radio and television. The
:19:21. > :19:25.copyright tribunal has told the BBC to pay Eos ?100,000 a year. Our arts
:19:26. > :19:34.and media correspondent Huw Thomas reports.
:19:35. > :19:39.Just one of the hundreds of artists whose music is played on Roger
:19:40. > :19:53.Cumbria every week. The disagreement between the BBC and EOS has rumbled
:19:54. > :19:57.on for more than a year for stop. ?100,000 is significantly lower than
:19:58. > :20:02.what union members had hoped for. The legal team argued the music it
:20:03. > :20:07.controls was worth more than ten times that and asked for ?1.5
:20:08. > :20:12.million a year. The BBC wanted to pay no more than ?100,000. At the
:20:13. > :20:16.beginning of this year as part of the dispute, EOS stopped the latest
:20:17. > :20:25.edition from playing any of its music. We will fully comply to the
:20:26. > :20:30.ruling and we will start negotiating again with the union to reach a full
:20:31. > :20:38.and final settlement with them. Our focus will be providing a full
:20:39. > :20:42.service for listeners. EOS said it will have to consult its members and
:20:43. > :20:48.will hold an emergency meeting within weeks. Today's decision is
:20:49. > :20:52.binding and this set until the end of 2015.
:20:53. > :20:55.Denbighshire Council has hit back at the company which runs three of its
:20:56. > :20:58.leisure facilities after it blamed the local authority for its poor
:20:59. > :21:02.financial state. Clwyd Leisure said it may have to close swimming pools
:21:03. > :21:06.in Rhyl and Prestatyn resulting in more than 70 job losses. But the
:21:07. > :21:14.council says none of its services are immune to cuts. Aber an leisure
:21:15. > :21:21.services has been saving something in the region of ?100,000 per year
:21:22. > :21:27.over the last six years whereas the corresponding figure for Clwyd
:21:28. > :21:31.Leisure has been ?50,000 over the same period. They have not been
:21:32. > :21:34.targeted in any way with the subsidy reduction.
:21:35. > :21:38.The rest of the day's sport now and Swansea City will face Napoli in the
:21:39. > :21:41.last 32 of the Europa League. The Italian side who are managed by
:21:42. > :21:44.former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafa Benitez narrowly failed to
:21:45. > :21:48.progress in the Champions League. The Swans will be at home in the
:21:49. > :21:53.first leg on February 20. Meanwhile, the club are waiting for an update
:21:54. > :21:56.on Nathan Dyer's ankle injury. The 26-year-old scored in their 1-1 draw
:21:57. > :22:00.with Norwich yesterday but left the pitch on a stretcher after injuring
:22:01. > :22:05.his foot in a tackle. Initial scans have shown no obvious break.
:22:06. > :22:08.Olympic Champion Jade Jones has won silver at the World Taekwondo Grand
:22:09. > :22:12.Prix in Manchester. The 20-year-old from Flint thought she had won the
:22:13. > :22:16.final with a late head-kick, but officials ignored her appeal. Jade
:22:17. > :22:20.says after a tough year of injuries and falling out of love with the
:22:21. > :22:37.sport, it's good to have some more success.
:22:38. > :22:51.She did say she was fully focused on real -- Andrea De Ginola in 2016. --
:22:52. > :22:55.aren't going to Brazil in 2016. And finally, congratulations to
:22:56. > :22:58.Wales full back Leigh Halfpenny. After winning the Welsh vote last
:22:59. > :23:02.week, he finished second to Andy Murray last night in the race to be
:23:03. > :23:04.named BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The Lions were also named team
:23:05. > :23:09.of the year. He left home at the age of 16 to
:23:10. > :23:12.persue an acting career. Now Luke Evans is one of Hollywood's rising
:23:13. > :23:15.stars. His latest film, the second in director Peter Jackson's Hobbit
:23:16. > :23:19.trilogy, looks set to be one the hits of the year. Today, the actor
:23:20. > :23:22.returned to his old stomping ground of Bargoed near Caerphilly to share
:23:23. > :23:29.his adventures in the movie business. Carwyn Jones went along.
:23:30. > :23:33.It has already made 74 million dollars in the US box office and
:23:34. > :23:40.that is just in the opening weekend. The second instalment in the Hobbit
:23:41. > :23:49.trilogy has been one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the
:23:50. > :23:59.year. You must listen. Luke Evans plays a heroic archer and that is a
:24:00. > :24:07.Welsh accent. You have no right to enter that mountain. The producers
:24:08. > :24:13.heard an interview with me and they thought it would be interesting to
:24:14. > :24:22.try the character with a Welsh accent. The Welsh accent has now
:24:23. > :24:27.become part of the legacy. He left school at 16 to try his hand at
:24:28. > :24:34.acting. He found himself back in the classroom today. He gave a
:24:35. > :24:43.masterclass to pupils from the film club. Topics ranged from slaying
:24:44. > :24:49.dragons to possible future roles. I would probably like to play James
:24:50. > :24:56.Bond. That is the final instalment of the Hobbit trilogy. It has
:24:57. > :24:57.provided a role of a lifetime. From Middle Earth to meteorology.
:24:58. > :25:05.Here's Derek. There is more strong wind and heavy
:25:06. > :25:10.rain on the way later this week but tomorrow the best day of the week!
:25:11. > :25:14.Most places dry. Sunshine and light winds but watch out for fog patches.
:25:15. > :25:17.This evening a little rain in the south and southeast. Elsewhere dry.
:25:18. > :25:23.The cloud clearing after midnight and turning quite cold. Temperatures
:25:24. > :25:29.inland falling close to freezing with a widespread slight frost. Mist
:25:30. > :25:34.and fog patches forming as well. Tomorrow, we're in between weather
:25:35. > :25:37.fronts. One lying through the English Channel. These fronts over
:25:38. > :25:41.the Atlantic will reach us on Wednesday. Here's the picture for
:25:42. > :25:44.eight in the morning. Cold but a fine and bright start for most of us
:25:45. > :25:47.but not everywhere. Watch out for fog patches if you're travelling.
:25:48. > :25:50.These could be dense in places. Showers are possible in Bridgend and
:25:51. > :25:53.the Vale of Glamorgan. Otherwise dry. Sunshine in Haverfordwest and
:25:54. > :25:57.Aberystwyth. During the day, fog will slowly lift into low cloud but
:25:58. > :26:00.may linger in the Marches all afternoon. Elsewhere some lovely
:26:01. > :26:03.weather. Bright and dry with sunny spells. Temperatures will reach five
:26:04. > :26:08.to nine Celsius. Cold where the fog lingers. The wind light but breezier
:26:09. > :26:12.in the north and west. In Ceredigion tomorrow, a nice day. Dry with a
:26:13. > :26:17.good deal of sunshine. Ideal for a walk on the coast. The temperature
:26:18. > :26:23.in New Quay rising to seven Celsius. Tomorrow night dry. Some mist, fog
:26:24. > :26:27.and ground frost in parts of Mid, North and East Wales. Windier and
:26:28. > :26:31.less cold in the west with rain by the end of the night. On Wednesday,
:26:32. > :26:36.rain will spread across the whole country. Some heavy rain too with
:26:37. > :26:39.brisk southerly winds. Up to gale force in the west. Thursday
:26:40. > :26:44.brighter, colder and less windy with showers. The showers wintry on
:26:45. > :26:48.higher ground with a little snow on the mountains. Friday will start dry
:26:49. > :26:54.but it won't last. Turning wet and windy during the afternoon and
:26:55. > :27:01.evening. Make the most of the dry weather tomorrow and watch out for
:27:02. > :27:06.fog patches! The headlines from the BBC. David Cameron has said it will
:27:07. > :27:09.be showing accomplished when British forces leave Afghanistan next year
:27:10. > :27:18.by helping to prevent the country from becoming a haven for terrorists
:27:19. > :27:26.again. The other headlines, Sharp Electronics is to end production of
:27:27. > :27:30.solar panels in Wrexham. 250 workers are to be made redundant. Other
:27:31. > :27:34.agency staff will lose their jobs. I'll have an update for you here at
:27:35. > :27:39.eight o'clock and after the BBC News at ten. That's Wales Today. Thank
:27:40. > :27:41.you for watching. From all of us on the programme, good evening.