31/03/2017 BBC Wales Today

Tonight's headlines: The operation to recover five bodies

from the helicopter crash in Snowdonia is hampered by the poor

It is very very sad. It is a shock to this little community here.

The defence begins of a a consultant psychiatrist accused of rape

More job losses at another Welsh university?

Trinity St David confirms it's asking staff to consider

With salmon stocks approaching crisis point on the River Teifi,

coracle fisherman take the unprecedented step

In tonight's sport: Back from Wales duty and aiming to get

to a European final, can the Ospreys and Blues get

And she's the tiny table tennis star, at just ten Anna becomes

the youngest player ever to represent Wales at senior level.

Five bodies have been recovered from a helicopter

The operation had been hampered by poor weather

Married couple Kevin and Ruth Burke owned the helicopter.

They were on board with three other members of their family,

named tonight as Donald, Sharon and Barry Burke.

They were travelling from near Milton Keynes on Wednesday

en route to Dublin when they crashed in the Rhinog mountains.

More than 80 people have been involved in the recovery

and investigation, as Roger Pinney reports.

A break in the weather and under lifting the sky is a search and

rescue helicopter was able to fly over the crash scene. It is an area

known to hill walkers out of the Celtic Badlands, so tough is the

terrain there. At last the recovery operation could get underway. Con

bays of vehicles making the tortuous journey to the site, carrying

members of teams drafted in to help. This is as close as we are allowed

to get to the crash site. From here it is a 30 minute Drive and then a

steep to our climb on the foot, scrambling places, to more than 700

metres above sea level. This evening the police confirmed that the five

bodies have now been recovered. More than 80 people have been involved in

the operation, from the military, police, coastguard and civilian

mountain rescue teams. This photo released at the request of the

family of those who died shows where the crash happened and the

indication of the conditions, that is something the North Wales Police

spoke about earlier in the day. We have very skilled individuals up

there at the moment and even they are finding it very difficult. The

slopes are very slippery and treacherous and the recent rains

have not made the underfoot particularly easy either. Heather is

making it slippery as well. It is particularly challenging up there.

Those who died included Kevin and Ruth Burke from near Milton Keynes

and the helicopter was registered to them. The others were members of

their family who were all travelling to a family baptism in Ireland. At

their home live was this reaction. Very, very sad and of course a

terrible shock to the people who live in this little community here.

You can see it is a very small one and Kevin and Ruth had only just

moved into this magnificent new house that they had been building

for the last couple of years. For the aviation authorities the main

task now to discover what went wrong. A team is already at work.

Once recovered, the wreckage will be minutely examined at the air

Accident Investigation branch headquarters at Farnborough in

Hampshire. If it is a fairly straightforward accident the

investigators will have a reasonable idea of what happened fairly soon

on. However, they had to cover all possibilities and the investigation

will follow the same processes, as it would if they weren't certain of

what happened. But nothing will happen quickly. The and weather

conspired to make this all an exacting arduous operation.

A Wrexham council binman has pleaded guilty to three terror offences.

49-year-old Aabid Ali from Yale Park in Wrexham was known

as Darren Glennon before he converted to Islam.

He was found in possession of two terror manuals,

and also published a statement on YouTube encouraging others

He'll be sentenced next month in Manchester.

A man from Newport has been arrested on suspicion of murder

after a 66-year-old man was found dead at a house in Caerleon.

Police were called to the property in Cambria Close in the early hours

of yesterday morning, after reports of a disturbance.

The 38-year-old man has been bailed pending further enquiries.

The defence case has begun in the trial of Dr Brian Harris,

a consultant psychiatrist accused of rape and assaulting patients.

Dr Harris denies 13 counts of sexual assault, indecent assault

and rape against five men between 1991 and 2011.

From Merthyr Crown Court, Caroline Evans.

Doctor Brian Harris worked for the NHS and in private practice

Now aged 77, the jury at Merthyr Crown Court was told

he will not give evidence to the trial.

His legal team told the court that he'd been assessed by a clinical

psychologist last summer, who'd concluded that Doctor Harris

was likely to have experienced significant cognitive decline,

more than would be expected as part of the normal ageing process.

There was strong evidence, the court was told, of significant

decline in his intellectual ability and his ability to recall.

The trial has heard that Dr Harris was arrested in 2013

He's accused of sexually abusing five of his patients

who he was treating for mental health issues.

On arrest Doctor Harris denied any wrongdoing and described

Today his defence team opened their case, reading a series

of letters documenting the medical history of two of the men

One man, a patient in Sully Hospital, who was diagnosed

with paranoid schizophrenia was said to be suffering hallucinations.

Another patient who suffered a brain injury complained that he had been

wrongly diagnosed by Mr Harris and spent 20 years taking

a powerful drug which he believed he did not need.

He told his GP he had lots of grievances with the system.

Brian Harris has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him

One of Britain's best known endurance cyclists has been killed

35-year-old Mike Hall lived in Monmouthshire,

He was competing in the Indian Pacific Wheel Race south of Canberra

The race, from Perth to Sydney, was cancelled after the crash.

The Church in Wales has decided three complaints

following allegations of homophobia in its selection process

for the new Bishop of Llandaff are without merit.

The Dean of St Albans, Jeffrey John, made the allegations

The Church has denied it, and says the Bishops will proceed

On last night's programme we told you about the University

of South Wales' plans to cut more than 100 jobs.

Well, tonight it's emerged a second university could be following suit.

The University of Wales, Trinity Saint David,

which has three campuses across mid and west Wales has written to staff,

asking them to consider voluntary redundancy.

No, specific numbers haven't been released.

They say they regularly review their staffing costs,

comparing them to others in the industry, and at the moment,

their costs are above sector benchmark comparisons.

So a review of their staffing levels is being carried out.

As a result, they've launched a voluntary redundancy scheme

They've met with the Trade Unions, but it's a process that's

going to continue over the next few weeks.

Now Unison, one of the unions involved, say this affects both

To give you an idea of the numbers involved at the university,

it employs around 1,500 staff, roughly similar numbers

They're spread over three sites, Carmarthen, Swansea and Lampeter.

This comes after yesterday's news of job losses at the University of

south Wales. The University of South Wales

announced as many as 139 They put that down to rising costs,

they're going up by 3% every year, and an anticipation that student

numbers are going to fall. Now the fall in numbers

they blame partly on Brexit. There's certainly a lot

of uncertainty across the higher education sector about

whether students from the EU will still want to come here,

whether tighter immigration controls post-Brexit might mean

fewer can come here, and the same applies

to university staff too. But the other factor at play

is demographics here in the UK, there are fewer 18 year

olds to apply. But given institutions rely

on students paying for their course, if there are fewer of them it has

a big impact on funding Coracle fishermen on the River Teifi

are taking the unprecedented step of returning any salmon they catch

because of increasing Natural Resources Wales says

the situation is approaching crisis point, as Aled Scourfield now

reports. These fishermen are the guardians

of a tradition that's been practised on the rivers of Wales

since pre-Roman times. The Teifi coracle men

still use their ancient craft The River Teifi is often described

as the Queen of the Welsh game fishing rivers but there is mounting

concern about salmon numbers. These coracle men say they have

taken the difficult decision From 1st April to 1st June we have

to release any salmon that we catch anyway,

it's just part of the However, from that time

on through to the end of season we have made the decision now

to actually release all salmon we catch, and put them back

into the system so they can follow Is it purely witnessing this decline

in the past few years? Yes, there was definitely a decline

in the fish we are catching and want to make sure this fishing

style is kept for our children to be able to be done

in generations to come. Latest figures from Natural

Resources Wales show there has been a steep decline in the number

of salmon caught on the Teifi. There were 115 declared net

catches of salmon in 2014. That more than halved

to around 45 in 2015. Declared rod catches

of salmon are also down, from 300 in 014 to around 210

the following year. But what's responsible

for the decline? There have been very well-publicised

pollution incidents on other More than 1,000 fish were killed

in December by a slurry leak. There is also concern that global

warming may be having an impact on the temperature of our rivers,

which may in turn affect spawning. Coracle men on the Teifi say

they have no option but to take We'd like the river to thrive,

it wouldn't be good holding a consultation in May

on whether to make catch and release compulsory across the country

to help protect fish stocks. They admit that salmon

stocks on the Teifi Generally the numbers of salmon

stocks in particular have been declining in the last few years

and we picked it up through the ongoing monitoring work

we undertake, so it is coming to a fairly critical position,

especially in light of salmon We're getting very close to a crisis

situation so it is time that something's done to try

and address this matter. These coracle men hope the decision

to return their catches of salmon will be followed by other fishermen

on the Teifi to help protect this Still to come in the programme:

You'd need a head for heights. The challenge of maintenance work

on one of the tallest And we're in for a mixture

of sunshine and showers this weekend, with high pressure

on the way. I'll have the forecast

for the start of April. How do you increase

the number of Welsh speakers? Figures show the number of people

speaking the language has As the government's five year Welsh

language strategy comes to an end, and a new one is expected

in the summer, James Williams has been to Carmarthenshire,

an area that has seen a drop in Welsh speakers, to look

at some of the issues. It's more than just a numbers game,

but for many years the amount of people speaking Welsh has been

in steady decline. We didn't speak much

Welsh at school. Most of us speak Welsh, well,

my friends and relatives. I don't think the younger generation

speak so much Welsh. At 65%, this area of Llanelli

is the area of Carmarthenshire with the highest percentage

of people who have no grasp Census results have shown the number

of people who can speak Welsh has fallen from 582,000 to 562,000,

a drop in the proportion of Welsh My aunties and grannie

all spoke Welsh. And not one of us was

brought up to speak Welsh. Welsh lessons in rural Llanelli,

a Welsh speaking heartland. But now fewer than half

the population of Carmarthenshire Well, I moved to Carmarthenshire

about 15 years ago with lots of my family and so my boys went

into a Welsh speaking education. I decided that it was better to put

them in because they were so young and I was just told they would soak

it up and they have. Launched last summer the Welsh

government set itself a new target to almost double the number of Welsh

speakers to one million by 2015. These are four pupils who have

chosen a Welsh language education. How much Welsh is spoken

in the corridors? It seems to be if teacher is in

earshot you will jump into Welsh. Personally I think there

is a mentality in young people now that English is the way forward

in life, that is a complete misconception, you know,

by having bilingual skills we have two windows on the

world, not just one. I think people are quite ready

to say that they are proud of being Welsh, they're proud

of being able to speak Welsh, but what people don't do is actually

use the Welsh language. Back in 2003 the Welsh

government aimed to increase They did not just missed that

target, the numbers actually fell backwards, not just hearing

Carmarthenshire but right across Wales. It gives a sense of how hard

it will be to achieve their new target of reaching 1 million

speakers in the next 30 years, which ministers admit is a deliberately

ambitious target, but without radical change it may well be an

radical change it may well be an unrealistic one as well.

We're talking table tennis in a minute but first we have rugby.

After the Six Nations the Wales internationals return this weekend

as both the Ospreys and the Blues aim to make it into the semifinals

The Cardiff Blues travel to Gloucester tomorrow,

while the Ospreys' take on Stade Francais on Sunday.

That match at the Principality Stadium.

The bodies being given a bit of a break and Sam Warburton is refreshed

and relieved that there is still something to say -- play for this

season. The target of finishing the top six in the pro 12 now unlikely

Warburton is happy with the chance to pick up European silverware. It

is seven years since they last won this competition. Leigh Halfpenny

among the try scorers that day, beating Jonny Wilkinson 's side.

When we won in 2010 it was probably one of my top three club experiences

that I have had the Blues, so that was an amazing day and an experience

in the club. If we can win this competition it would be massive for

us and I get a lot of satisfaction out of that so it is a massive

target, yes. The second tier of European competition might not be

the player 's first choice but the Ospreys Dan Baker says that when

they are in it it is important to win it. His side is the favourite

lift the cup. The Ospreys had the perfect start to the cup this season

and they made history by becoming the first to pick up maximum points

at the pool stages in any European competition. They recorded six bonus

points victories. A week on from their embarrassing defeat against

Treviso, which was a serious blow to their ambitions of winning the

title, the Ospreys face the French side in flux. Earlier this month

start Francais players and fans demonstrated against a shock merger

with their rivals. With livelihoods on the line the players went on

strike and the merger was called off. Speaking to a few of them after

the French game, they were saying it is back on and things and they were

having a bit of banter that everything is back to normal now so

it has probably given them a bit of a fillip as well in terms of

standing in the own two feet as well. Their home form has been

exceptional but their away form, I didn't they have won on the road yet

so we I've been to keep it that way. The Ospreys will also be away from

home as their match has been moved to the principality stadium where it

is likely to be only one quarter full.

And that match moved from the Liberty Stadium

because Swansea City are playing a crucial Premier League match

Manager Paul Clement says the club are in a relegation fight

and his players must embrace the pressure of the situation.

With nine games left to ensure their survival,

he's hoping their home form will ensure points this weekend.

Nine games to go, as you have said, and the fact that we don't pick up

any points in the last two, it is important to get points back on the

board again and we are going to use our home form momentum to do our

very best to get points in this one. It is a very important game and we

are going out to win it. Anna Hursey is the best

in Wales at under-18, and it's believed after competing

in a European Championship qualifier this week,

she's now the youngest player ever to represent Wales in any

sport at senior level. The thing is, she's

still only 10 years old. She's quite simply a revelation

with bat and ball. At just ten she may be lacking

in height up against her older opponents but she's not lacking

in power and determination. Anna is a fierce competitor and most

adults don't want to play her. Making her debut for Wales this week

has been a dream come true. This was her match against her

opponent from Kosovo that She may have won with ease,

but she's very humble I played well but I think I could've

done a little bit better Anna's victory saw Wales

smash their opponents 3-0 overall and the result sees them finish

second in their qualifying group and they'll now

play Belarus next month. The rest of the Wales team

aren't exactly old either. Beth Roberts, who's only 19,

made her debut and Captain I know, 20 years old and I'm

the oldest one in the team. I think we must have

the youngest team average It was nice to get the match done

quickly and easily get a good start for the girls and they were feeling

more confident going The girls have done a brilliant job

and they showed good talent and it was really impressive to see

them win so easily. Anna is totally

focused on the sport. She trains five days a week

and is showing such enormous potential at this young age she's

been tipped by many How good is she at ten? Definitely

one to watch. She is amazing, isn't she?

I don't know if you have a head for heights. You might want to look

away! A team of workers in Chepstow has

been scaling one of the tallest electricity pylons in the UK

to replace vital parts last touched At almost 500 feet tall,

the pylon carries electricity It's so tall it often

touches the clouds. This, however, is just a bit of fog

and it's not going to delay work to replace parts of this pylon

in Chepstow for the first Even if you look closely,

you can't really make out This is the view from 500

feet, the top of one Stretching across the River Severn

for a mile it carries 275,000 This team are finally

replacing the insulators. They carry the weight

of the 30 tonnes cables. It's quite a difference from 1969,

when those insulators Working up here has taken

six months of planning, and plenty of ladders,

platforms and winches. They collect the whole country to

the power stations and we have a grid network so we can divert power

all over the country and the distribution networks.

It's quite a difference from 1969, when those insulators

That was also filmed, and the technology,

as well as the approach to health and safety, have definitely evolved.

The team finish the work tonight which should keep the electricity

flowing from south Wales for another 50 years.

Well, with our feet firmly on the ground, O the weather forecast. How

does the weekend look, Derek? It is a bit of a mixed bag but good

news. Sunshine and April showers will sum it up tomorrow and you may

be lucky to see a rainbow like this one that was spotted this morning.

Sunday is certainly the better day of the weekend. If you have any

outdoor plans, more sunshine, and drive thanks to reach of high

pressure. In the meantime pressure is quite low so we are in for some

more rain and showers which could be heavy in places. Later tonight it

dries up at the South West and a cooler and fresher feeling that than

recently. Temperatures dropping into single figures. Here is the picture

for tomorrow morning. A few showers dotted around, as you can see, if

you catch one could be on the heavy side but not wet everywhere. There

will be some dry and bright weather. Sunshine on offer as when the wind

is light. The temperature around nine. A mixture of sunshine and

showers tomorrow, showers heavy in places and hail as possible and even

a rumble of thunder but parts of the north and west should end up nice

and sunny late afternoon. Temperature wise 11 degrees on the

Cardigan Bay coast and elsewhere 12 or 14, with a light or moderate

breeze. Tomorrow evening showers in mid and South wales will fade away

and then the rest of the night dry and clear and turning Chile.

Gardeners, watch out for a ground frost in the countryside. On news is

a nice day in prospect and sunnier than Saturday and drive. Some clouds

building up in land which is typical at this time of year with the strong

sun and it will turn up pleasantly warm. On Sunday a good day for a

walk in the mountains. Cold on the top. It will be dry with good

visibility. How about a trip to the seaside on Sunday? Temperature is

not that high, 11th in Llandudno and new key but in the sunshine it will

feel warm with light winds. The sea temperature, if you fancy a paddle,

be warned it is still quite cold at this time of year. More dry weather

to come on Monday but this reign over Ireland behind me will reach

Wales on Monday evening, spreading across the country overnight. Beyond

that we have high pressure, a big high over the Atlantic. It looks set

to build across the UK by the middle of next week. That means a few days

of finance settled weather so sunshine and April showers tomorrow.

Sunday is the best day of the weekend. Enjoy it if you can.

Thank you. A reminder of tonight 's headlines. The EU has asserted its

control over the Brexit negotiations by publishing its draft guidelines

for the talks ahead. It has rejected the government plan to begin

negotiating a trade deal at the same time the price to be paid for

leaving the EU. Five bodies have been recovered from

the site of a helicopter crash in Snowdonia. Police have confirmed

tonight that all of those who died were from the same family.

I'm back with a quick update at 8.00pm, and more

From all of us on the programme, have a good evening.

Rhod Gilbert's facing up to flower power.

Do you know any of these flowers? Don't know, don't know,