15/01/2016 BBC Wales Today


15/01/2016

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Now it's time for the news where you are.

:00:00.:00:07.

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top stories:

:00:08.:00:09.

Hundreds of steel jobs are set to go across the country.

:00:10.:00:11.

BBC Wales understands details will be made public next week.

:00:12.:00:14.

And the Education Minister Huw Lewis has announced he'll be standing down

:00:15.:00:17.

from the Assembly at May's elections.

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For weeks, there have been fears for the Welsh steel industry,

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and tonight, BBC Wales understands Tata, which employs 6,000

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steelworkers here, is expected to announce hundreds of job

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Most of those posts are expected to go at the firm's

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Cemlyn Davies has this exclusive report.

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The British steel industry is in crisis.

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In recent months, thousands of steelworkers have lost their jobs

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in Scotland and the North of England.

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And the focus is now on Wales and Port Talbot,

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where Tata Steel employs thousands of people.

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The plant is reported to be losing ?1 million a day,

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and BBC Wales has been told that an announcement on job losses

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here and across Wales could be made as early as next week.

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The number of jobs axed is expected to be in the high hundreds,

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Anthony Taylor is a local councillor who spent 44 years working

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It is a blow for me as a person, because it's an emotional thing.

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At the plant for 44 years, you become attached to the people,

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But it's a bigger blow to the community when it comes.

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It goes without saying that Tata is the biggest employer

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Everyone, it seems, knows someone employed at the steelworks,

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and people here tell me that the plant does much more

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Tata Steel says any announcement will be made to its workforce first.

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But local politicians are already braced for bad news.

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The steel industry has to restructure.

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It has to look at cutting some of its costs.

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I am absolutely convinced that with the trade unions

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and the Government and Tata Steel working constructively

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in partnership with each other, we can weather this storm.

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We can ride it out and we can actually come back stronger.

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With other sites in Newport, Llanwern.

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Tata employees a total of 6000 people across Wales.

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But the vast majority - around 4000 workers -

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The Economy Minister met with company bosses on a prearranged

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visit to Deeside this morning, but wouldn't be drawn

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If anything official comes from the company...

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There are so many rumours about the steel industry

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and to comment on anything, it wouldn't be right.

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It would be unfair, because if there are any issues

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around jobs, I'm sure the company will be wanting to deal

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Unions say they are broadly satisfied with the Welsh

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Government's attempts to protect steelworkers,

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but they are frustrated with the lack of action

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The UK Government told us it has been proactive in helping the steel

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industry by cutting energy costs and taking action on

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But it seems that simply hasn't been enough to protect Welsh

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steelworkers, whose future this evening is more uncertain than ever.

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And we'll bring you any updates on this story over the weekend,

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including a special report on Sunday Politics Wales.

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That's this Sunday morning at 11am, here on BBC One Wales.

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A 53-year-old man has appeared before magistrates in Newport,

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charged with the murder of a woman in Monmouthshire.

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The body of 25-year-old Georgina Symonds was found

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Peter Morgan, who's from Abergavenny, was remanded

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in custody until his next court appearance on Monday.

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North Wales Police are treating the death of a man in Rhyl

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as suspicious after significant concerns were raised

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The body of 44-year-old Liam James Hill was found

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in his flat on the West Parade last Friday.

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Officers are now appealing for information to help establish

:04:10.:04:12.

Mr Hill's movements before his death.

:04:13.:04:16.

The Education Minister Huw Lewis has announced he'll be standing down

:04:17.:04:19.

Mr Lewis has been AM for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney

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since the first Assembly elections in 1999.

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Our political reporter, Bethan Lewis, joins me now.

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Bethan, what's behind his decision to stand down?

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He said in a statement tonight that it is time to move on for him and

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his constituency after 17 years in Cardiff Bay. He says he's looking

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forward to seeking out new opportunities, challenges and

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spending more time with his family. He is a former teacher. He has been

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education minister for over two years. A high profile and

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contentious portfolio. Before that, he was culture minister and

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communities and communities and tackling poverty minister as well.

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But the night, the First Minister, who he stood against in the Labour

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leadership contest in 2009, says he praises him for his passion and says

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he will be sorely missed. And he is in fact going to join several other

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Labour AMs who are standing down. Yes, he is the second Cabinet

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banister to stand down. Huw Lewis is the latest of ten Labour AMs to say

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they will be standing in made's elections. That is a third of the

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whole Labour group. Some AMs from other parties as well. Whatever the

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result in May, the Assembly will look pretty different. A new

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candidate will have to be chosen and it is a pretty safe Labour seat, so

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there is likely to be a lot of competition for that. Thank you.

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Doubts have been raised about some of the engineering behind Swansea's

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Several experts have told BBC Wales the design could generate less

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energy than the company behind it claims.

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It comes after the Prime Minister admitted his enthusiasm

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for the project has reduced, as the UK Government tries

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I did question back in 2010 whether it would be better

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to reorientate those turbines so that the wake was parallel

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to the mouth coming out OF here, and sending the wake right out

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So I hope that if this scheme goes ahead, and I hope it does,

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that we can try to reconsider some aspects of the design,

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which I think at the moment, could be improved.

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The developer, Tidal Lagoon Power, says questions on the engineering

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and environmental impact of the project have been addressed.

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Rugby, and the Ospreys' chances of reaching the knockout stages

:06:57.:06:58.

of the European Champions Cup were boosted after they beat

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Clermont Auvergne 21-13 at the Liberty Stadium tonight.

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The goal kicking of Dan Biggar and Sam Davies secured the points

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for the Ospreys, who can win a place in the next round if the defeat

:07:09.:07:12.

Elsewhere, the Dragons beat Castres 31-18 in the Challenge Cup.

:07:13.:07:20.

Winger Ashton Hewitt's try just before full time secured the Welsh

:07:21.:07:24.

The Dragons stay two points clear at the top of pool two.

:07:25.:07:31.

In football, Cardiff City won't be able to sign new players this month.

:07:32.:07:34.

They've been placed under a transfer embargo by the Football League

:07:35.:07:37.

after breaching financial fair play rules.

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It's thought the breach relates to Cardiff's debts.

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It's the second time in six years that Cardiff have had

:07:43.:07:47.

Let's see what the weather has in store for the weekend.

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Hello. Keep the winter woollies handy. It will stay cold this

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weekend. I can promise some dry weather. Some sunshine and a lighter

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winds. It might not be dry everywhere through the weekend. This

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evening, some wintry showers. Some showers in Pembrokeshire tonight.

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Elsewhere, dried, clear starry skies and a widespread frost. Temperatures

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could fall as low as minus eight Celsius. Once again, ice would be a

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hazard and a Met Office warning is in force. A cold, frosty start for

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much of Wales tomorrow. But bright and crisp with plenty of sunshine.

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But some showers in the south-west. Across the rest of the UK, watch out

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for icy patches when travelling. Wintry showers will affect the

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eastern coast was otherwise, most places bright with some winter

:08:52.:08:57.

sunshine. Cloud will bring rain and snow to the north-west later in the

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afternoon. Only one Celsius tomorrow in Glasgow. Tomorrow afternoon, many

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places dry, bright and crisp with sunshine. The odd shower lingering

:09:08.:09:12.

in the West. Temperatures only cold to say, especially on higher ground.

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Seven Celsius. Tomorrow evening, some frost. Cloud increasing

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overnight. That may bring rain or snow to North Wales. Further south

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will remain dry and frosty. On Sunday, some patchy rain and snow in

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mid, north and East Wales. A freshening wind in the West. Into

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next week, signs of a change. Some rain on the way and a little snow in

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places. It may turn milder by the middle of the week. But a lot of

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uncertainty. Have a nice weekend. There's news, sport,

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travel and weather throughout the weekend on BBC Radio Wales,

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Radio Cymru and online. We're back at 5:50pm tomorrow

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evening. For now, from all of us

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on the late team, goodnight.

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