11/02/2016 BBC Wales Today

Toasting their remarkable breakthrough - scientists

from Cardiff University can finally celebrate.

Their discovery is being hailed as one of the most important

discoveries of this century, bringing a greater

It opens up a new chapter in human understanding of the universe.

It opens up a new way of looking at the universe.

In an exclusive report, we will meet the team at Cardiff who have helped

to transform our understanding of space.

26 party members and candidates sign a petition calling for the leader

More than ?7 million will be invested at Toyota on Deeside,

Across Wales, more than 18,000 people are employed making

I will be finding out what they have to do to win investment.

The number ten named in an unchanged team to face Scotland.

The boys were joking, calling him Lazarus and stuff.

He got through training today and looked sharp.

And Cardiff City set to be debt free by 2021,

according to owner Vincent Tan, who has today backed under-fire

It's been described as one of the greatest breakthroughs

in physics for a century, transforming our understanding

Scientists at Cardiff University have played a key role

in the detection of gravitational waves -

invisible ripples in the fabric of space.

Albert Einstein first came up with the idea and it's hoped they'll

give us a glimpse of the most remote parts of the universe.

A huge experiment in the United States had been searching

for them for decades but it was here in Wales that most

of the data was processed and verified.

Our reporter Steffan Messenger is live from the School of Physics

You can see the university's telescope observatory behind me.

For generations, that's been the traditional way scientists have

But the reason everyone's so excited about this big announcement today

is that it gives us a brand new tool to study the universe

So what are they and why was Cardiff University's role

We were given exclusive access to the team here in Cardiff ahead

This gathering of physicists in Cardiff, one of several taking

place around the world this afternoon.

First, via video link, they heard from Washington.

We have detected gravitational waves.

The focal point of an international search for one of the universe's

First predicted by Einstein a hundred years ago,

gravitational waves are pulses sent out when big things happen

Black holes colliding, for example, or the

They would offer us a glimpse of the furthest and oldest reaches

Studying them could help answer age-old questions like how

So, for decades, a huge experiment in the US has been trying to detect

them, involving some 900 scientists worldwide.

Closer to home, the role a team of researchers in Cardiff had

Cardiff University has been involved in the project since

Our specialty is in modelling the signals that would come

from the collision of black holes and sifting through the data

Sensitive detectors in the US two-miles long were used to pick up

the signals from space, but it was super computers

in Cardiff that helped process the data and ultimately verify that

The team had been working for over a decade, calculating computer

simulations of what they expected to see.

It is much easier to find something if you know

A lot of the analysis was actually done on the computers.

Now I get to tell people about it, it starts to feel real

Scientists say being able to detect gravitational waves will usher

No longer will they have to rely on telescopes like this one to see

There is another side of the universe.

The universe that produces sounds and that is what we are doing

It allows us to listen to the universe in a way that has

So here it is, the sound of a gravitational wave sent out

as two black holes collided a billion light-years from Earth.

It is an echo from the distant past, a fingerprint from the most powerful

Actually seeing exactly the signal we had been calculating

come out of the data, that was incredible.

We spoke with the team 48 hours before the big announcement.

Tonight they are at the various events around the world to mark this

scientific scoop in London, Washington and Geneva.

In Cardiff, there is pride in their achievements.

It is one of the biggest discoveries in astronomy so I was very excited

It is a great example of how international projects

It is great to see Cardiff and Wales at the forefront.

Scientists say proving these waves exist is just the beginning.

It opens up a new window on the universe and we are now

in a position to start looking through it.

Let's explore this a little further with astronomer and broadcaster Dr

Chris North. What does this mean for Wales and Cardiff University, to be

linked to something this big? It is great that we have got researchers

and physicists Link to this international project. Making these

detections, this is the dawn of gravitational astronomy. To be able

to be at the forefront of that research, people in Cardiff looking

at the way we pick up these signals, we are sure to find many more within

months and years. That is going to happen. The team has proved that

this works and they can do it. To see what we can pull out and learn

new physics, learn new astronomy, the surprises that will come from

this, I am really looking forward to. What is next? How soon can we

start to pick up more of these waves and learn new things about the

universe? This is based on the first month of data and there was a

several month run. There may be more to come from the rest of that run.

It is currently off-line and going through another upgrade. They will

be even more sensitive and powerful. It is going to increase by a factor

of three over the next few years and so the results will start coming in

faster and faster and telling us new stuff. Einstein's last great mystery

solved. Back to you. The Toyota engine plant on Deeside

has won ?7 million investment. Its parent company has chosen

the Welsh plant and its 540 workers to make its next generation

of hybrid engines. As our economics correspondent

Sarah Dickins reports, it comes as many Welsh firms making

car parts are benefitting from a buoyant car sector,

but they have to compete hard. Engines of the future on the

production line today but the new generation engines will be in mass

production by the summer. The plant when the ?7 million investment

because it has proved to its bosses in Japan how competitive it is. Back

in 2014 I was one of three people who went to Japan and saw this

engine as a concept. To see where it is now, it is a really good

experience. It means the will to us. This announcement is a financial

investment but also an investment in our future. In the recession,

workers here took a pay cap and it paid off. The Welsh government has

given a grant of ?700,000 and the minister visited the plant to meet

the team. Here, they are helping a company in Ammanford design more

adjustable car seats. For companies in this line of business, the secret

is to be ahead of the game. This company has designed and made this

machine. It will go up the Heads of the Valleys wrote to Tredegar to

make a new style of exhaust. This Company has been so busy in the last

18 months that it's workforce has grown by a third. They have been

very successful in winning contracts. It now accounts for 30%

of the work, the contract with Jaguar in the Midlands. There is a

lot of new innovation in this sector at the moment. New technologies

which might mean new materials, combining things with her tricks,

plastics or nylons. The Ford engine plant has been part of the Welsh

economy for around four decades. It has also got investment for a new

generation of engines. But this year loses the contract to make engines

for Jaguar Land Rover. Across Wales, the automotive centre employs around

18,000 people. There turnover is around ?3.3 billion a year. The new

engines that will be made on the site will be going into cars

assembled in Turkey. For Toyota, hybrid is one of the unique selling

points. They currently account for around 25% of our European sales and

three quarters are made in Europe, here. Assembling whole vehicles has

the greatest impact on economies but Wales has developed a good

reputation for making engines and the benefits it widespread.

An inquest into the death of Cheryl James has heard how

the Army recruit from Llangollen had made comments about shooting herself

Private James was found dead with a bullet wound to her head

at Deepcut Barracks in 1995, amid claims of bullying.

A fellow recruit at the Army training base told the inquest that

Private James had joked about killing herself.

Another described Deepcut as a 'prison camp'.

Ten Welsh courts will close because of cuts

Brecon, Bridgend, Neath, Pontypridd and Wrexham courts

will close completely, while Dolgellau, Holyhead

and Llangefni will close after a new site is found.

Although the Guildhall in Carmarthen will close,

the family and civil court will stay open.

Unions warn the closures will "seriously undermine" public

The Health Minister, Mark Drakeford, has said the UK Government's

decision to impose a new contract on junior doctors in England

is foolish and damaging for patients.

A final offer to unions was rejected earlier this afternoon.

Mark Drakeford said junior doctors would be respected

We will proceed by discussion and negotiation.

That is why we have had no strikes in Wales.

That is how I want things to continue.

We will have negotiations with our junior doctors in Wales

now that the Secretary of State has made what I regard as a foolish

decision and one that is likely to be damaging to patients.

We won't want to see that happening in Wales.

We will continue along the path we have already set ourselves on.

Production is back to normal at the Tata steel plant

in Port Talbot after a fire, thought to be caused

Nobody was injured in the fire in the plant's coke ovens.

Mid and West Wales crews were called to the site after eight o'clock

A row within Ukip has raised its head again tonight

as a petition calling for the party leader in Wales to stand down has

Nathan Gill has been dismissing calls for his resignation,

but 26 party members and candidates have signed the document.

They claim there's no coherent plan to fight the Assembly

election in May and say the leadership is ineffective.

In terms of leadership, he has shown a distinct lack

People have no idea what is going on.

There has been no coherent policy in terms of a strategy

for the election and we are really concerned now because we have got

literally months to go and the election will be upon us

We needed decisive leadership in Wales.

Paul Martin, our political reporter, joins me in the studio.

Paul, not a great day for Nathan Gill again today.

More internal trouble. Most experts agree that party is on the verge of

a big breakthrough at the Assembly election. All this began as a row

over candidate selection and has been rumbling on for months, but as

you heard in the clip, it has become a bit broader. Some activists

questioning Nathan Gill's leadership and the party's strategy for this

Assembly election. There is also a long-running bugbear that many

activists have got and that is the fact Nathan Gill was appointed

leader by Nigel Farage, he was never elected. Where does the party go

from here? There has been a strong defence of Nathan Gill by the party,

saying he has the vast -- support of the vast majority of members in

Wales. There are also questioning the credibility of this petition,

saying it is a tiny proportion of the membership. And saying some are

no longer members. It is all a bit messy. One senior source described

it as silliness. As for what this does for the party's prospects,

Nathan Gill told people will not vote for a party that display but

there is a theory that the Ukip vote is pretty robust. The idea that

people who plans to vote for the party are unlikely to be put off by

these stories of internal rows. It seems that theory is about to be put

to the test. Thank you very much. It's one of the most picturesque

spots along the Ceredigion coast but could the discovery of a secret

tunnel mean it was once With all these rumours

about the building and the smuggling from the beach up to this building,

straightaway I thought, Let's turn to the Six Nations,

and Dan Biggar is the surprise starter in Saturday's

match against Scotland. It's been described by Wales coach

Warren Gatland as a The coaching team initially feared

Biggar could be out for as many But despite injuring his ankle

in Dublin last weekend, the outside-half is part

of an unchanged team, with Gareth Anscombe replacing

Alex Cuthbert on the bench. A sighting of the man nicknamed

Lazarus by his team-mates. The limp was gone and Dan Biggar

entrusted with the number ten He got through training today

and looked sharp so he has worked really hard in terms of his recovery

and stuff and has made So there are no changes to the team

that drew with Ireland in Dublin. The scrum was solid and Rob Evans

will start again, keeping Both locks keep hold

of their jerseys as expected and, despite speculation Dan Lydiate may

return, it is the same back row with two specialised sevens

in Justin Tipuric and Sam Warburton. Wales may be preparing

for a fast and open game at the Principality Stadium,

which will have the roof closed I don't know whether the selection

totally reflects that because Dan Lydiate brings a lot

but you can probably pick any combination of three

and it will still work. I think we are in a very fortunate

situation that we have got a quality Gareth Davies will start again

at nine alongside Dan Biggar and at centre Jon Davies prepares

to win his 50th cap, playing next to Jamie Roberts

who impressed on the Liam Williams, who was brought

in late for the Dublin match, Alex Cuthbert loses out completely

as Gareth Anscombe steps back Scotland have made one forced change

to the team that lost to England on the weekend as Duncan Taylor

comes in for injured They are an improving side

but Scotland have not won It is a good record and it comes

with a bit of pressure. We have got to make sure we don't

slip up and we are The Scottish team in the Pro12

are getting better all the time and that is going to help

their national team. As they showed in the World Cup,

they are a very good team. Warren Gatland has never lost

to Scotland as coach of Wales and he will be hoping that record

still stands after this weekend. There's one game this

evening in the Pro12. The Dragons, who are two places

from bottom, entertain Connacht, Kick-off is at 7:30pm and there's

full commentary on Radio Wales. The former Wales international

footballer Graham Moore has The Hengoed born player

made his Wales debut aged 18 in this game against England in 1959,

scoring a last-minute He went on to win 21 caps

for his country and played for several clubs, including

Cardiff, Chelsea Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan has

backed under-fire manager The Malaysian businessman's also

announced he's going to lower the club's debt by turning

?68 million worth into equity and writing off

a further ?10 million. He wants the Bluebirds

to be debt free by 2021. I am joined by Robert Phillips, our

football correspondent. Great news or is it too good to be true? The

proof in the pudding will be in the eating but, what he has said today,

he will turn ?68 million of the current debt, around ?140 million,

into equity, writing off another ?10 million. They will be left with a

debt of around ?40 million, all to him. He says he will clear that

within five years. It is all part of the financial fate lay. They think

the moves made today will be enough to take them out of the transfer

embargo at the end of this season. He was also keen to back Russell

Slade? He spoke to fans in a question and answer session at the

stadium and he was very keen to say that Russell Slade had done a very

good job in very difficult circumstances. In his words,

clearing up the mess left by other managers. He wanted the fans not

only to get behind the club more but certainly to back Russell Slade

more, believing it is still possible Cardiff could reach the play-offs.

They say it's like selling the family jewels.

Cwmtwrch Rugby Club is putting some of its most precious memorabilia

into auction in a bid to raise funds and secure its future.

Club members hope tens of thousands of pounds will be raised

from the shirts of some of our sporting greats.

For a small valleys club in division three West Central, Cwmtwrch has

been blessed with a wealth of sporting memorabilia down the years.

But like many grassroots clubs in Wales, it is struggling to secure

its future. The many gaps in its display cabinets reflect an attempt

to plug the holes in its finances. It is difficult for smaller clubs to

raise money, from the bar to membership. But it is something we

recognise we have got. The club says it needs to raise around ?100,000 to

upgrade its facilities in the hope of acquiring more silverware so it

has been decided to auction its memorabilia. I think it would be a

big loss. I have had many a conversation with teams all over the

country being amazed at the wealth of jerseys here. From the club to

the auction house, some of the shirts that now form part of a much

larger collection. These are three of the highest value items that have

come from Cwmtwrch. A town FC jersey worn by Phil Bennett during the

season the club beat the all Blacks. -- Llanelli. A Pele shirt when he

played for the Brazilian club Santos. And the yellow shirt worn by

one of the greatest ever riders, Eddie Merck 's. It is believed these

items alone could sell for more than ?25,000. There are considerable

number of southern hemisphere bidders registered, probably looking

at predominantly red bean. We have also got European bidders perhaps

looking at the cycling jersey. It all goes under the hammer tomorrow.

Can some rich sporting history help to provide an even richer future for

grassroots rugby in the Swansea Valley?

The coastal village of New Quay is one of the most picturesque spots

along the Ceredigion coast but was it once

Well, a shopkeeper thinks he's discovered a tunnel which could have

been used for contraband goods in the 17th and 18th centuries.

There is hardly a beach or cove on the Welsh coast that does not

have at least one legend or story about smugglers.

They saw themselves as free traders and, like the pirates,

Now, to add to the legend, David Edwards, a shop owner

in New Quay, believes he's discovered a secret smuggling

passageway from the basement of his shop to the sea.

There is all these rumours about the building and about the smuggling

from the beach up to this building, straightaway I thought,

This tunnel has been cut into the rock face.

It is very narrow but it runs under the shop and under the main road

If we look around the corner, you can see where it is blocked off,

and that would have led to the entrance to the beach.

It is believed this old stone wall behind me covers the entrance

It is here that the smugglers would have brought their contraband

of brandy, salt and sugar, and taken it through the tunnel

In the 18th century, salt smuggling was rife

in Ceredigion, where it was used to preserve bacon and herring,

Costing only half the price in Ireland, there was a busy illegal

Local historian Roger Bryan has written books on New Quay's history

and studied reports from customs officials.

This is a report, August 5th 1704, and the custom officials have been

told that there are three ships in the bay with salt on them.

And so they come down from Aberdovey to check it all out and they run

into on the beach 150 men and 200 horses.

While stories of smugglers are rife, there are sceptics who believe this

tunnel is nothing more than part of New Quay's drainage system

to the sea and has been here for centuries, but David

is convinced he's found an old passageway from the past.

How's the weather looking in New Quay and elsewhere?

It is looking and feeling cold like it should for this time of year.

Tonight we do have some showers and it will be a cloudy night. This is a

satellite picture from earlier. It shows some breaks in the cloud and

we have enjoyed some sunshine today. But showers continuing into tonight.

Some dry weather in between. We could see a touch of frost with some

mist forming. A chilly night as temperatures get down to around one

Celsius. Tomorrow we have got this area of low pressure with this

weather system gathering in the Atlantic. That will bring more

persistent rain tomorrow night into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Tomorrow morning, a chilly start. We have some showers around. Sunshine

much harder to find tomorrow. Temperature might manage a little

bit tomorrow morning. By the afternoon, most of us cloudy and the

temperatures ranging between five and seven Celsius. A few showers

through tomorrow night. By midnight, we will start to see the rain

approaching from the south-west. It will gradually make its way north

and east. It could be wintry at times, especially for the Heads of

the Valleys and the Brecon Beacons. Temperatures getting down to around

two Celsius. Behind this low pressure, the rain will clear but it

will feel pretty chilly. First thing on Saturday morning, a wet start. We

have got that band of rain, sleet and snow. It will ease and we will

see few showers. You will need to wrap up warm if you are heading out.

And then we go into Sunday, a better day in terms of dry weather. We can

look forward to plenty of sunshine by the time we get a mandate but it

will feel warm. After decades of international

research, scientists at Cardiff University celebrate their role in

the detection of gravitational waves, described as one of the

greatest breakthroughs in physics for a century. Most of the data was

processed and verified in Wales. We'll have an update for you at 8pm

and more after the BBC News at 10pm. But for now, from all

of us on the programme,