Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales) back issues from April 2008:
Welsh university lecturer among plane crash dead.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... ONE of five men killed when a plane crashed into homes in Kent was a Swansea lecturer. David Leslie, 54, above, a former motor racing champion, died when the twin-jet Cessna Citation I ...
Dentist couple fleece NHS in patients scam.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Madeleine Brindley Health Editor A HUSBAND and wife dental team have been warned they could face jail after stealing tens of thousands of pounds from the NHS. Newton and Judith Johnson yesterday pleaded guilty to 20 counts of theft when they appeared at ...
WALES: I'd love to see the Bluebirds make final.(Sport)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: steve tucker with the Bluebirds news SIR Bobby Robson has backed Cardiff City to make it to the FA Cup final - and is hoping for a dream match between the Bluebirds and his former club West Bromwich Albion at Wembley come May. Robson spoke out ahead of a ...
WALES: Swans success done 'the right way'.(Sport)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Phil Blanche Sports Editor SWANSEA CITY boss Roberto Martinez has spoken about his pride that his team are on the verge of re-writing history "the right way". Martinez's men take a well-earned breather from the League One promotion race tonight as chasing ...
Tributes to 'stunning' girls killed in collision.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE families of two girls killed in a head-on collision on Saturday have paid tribute to their "stunning, beautiful" teenage daughters. Jade Emanuel, 17, and Rhiannon Davies, 18, above, ...
Plaid Rhondda candidate 'hated Valley' as a student; Labour's Bryant reveals Oxford student article.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Martin Shipton Chief Reporter A PLAID Cymru council candidate has been accused by her local Labour MP of hating the community she comes from. Rhondda MP Chris Bryant's allegation is based on his reading of an article written by Treorchy Plaid candidate Sera ...
There's a ray of sunshine for package hols as net bookers get fingers burnt; Self-planned vacations can turn out to be a disaster for some.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Rhodri Clark INTERNET users who have had bad experiences with holiday flights and accommodation booked online are returning to package holidays or traditional travel agents. For several years the outlook for tour operators has looked fairly bleakas customers ...
Case study: Natalie Davies.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... So many friends have told Natalie Davies of the holiday bargains available on the internet that she and her partner Dean have searched several times for a good deal. "We didn't think it was that much cheaper, and it was hard to search," says Miss Davies, of Ponty bodkin, near ...
Sister seeks full inquiry into RAF crash in Iraq that killed 10.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE sister of one of 10 servicemen killed when an RAF Hercules crashed in Iraq urged a coroner yesterday not to be deterred from conducting a "full, frank and probing" inquiry. Wiltshire Coroner David Masters began yesterday's inquest in the wake of a High Court challenge ...
NHS trusts up and running for better care, but don't hold your breath ... it'll take a while; Mergers 'to improve services for patients in time of tight budgets'.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Madeleine Brindley Health Editor A RAFT of changes affecting everyday Welsh life, everyone from motorists to hospital staff and patients, have come into force across the nation today. Parking fees at the majority of hospitals in Wales were scrapped for ...
wales news bulletin: Anglesey nanny's murder charge reduced.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... A NANNY accused of murdering the 13-month-old baby son of two police officers had her charge reduced to manslaughter at a court yesterday. Isaac Rowlinson, the son of Detective Paul Rowlinson and PC Lisa Rowlinson, died on July 23. Linda Wise, 46, of Gaerwen, ...
wales news bulletin: City fans face chaos if Tube strike hits.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THOUSANDS of Cardiff City supporters will be holding their breath over the next few days as talks aimed at averting a Tube strike at this Sunday's FACup semi-final get underway, The fans and those of their opponents Barnsley will be among those caught up in disruption as the walk-out is ...
wales news bulletin: Gillian Clarke is Wales' national poet.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... GILLIAN CLARKE has been named as the next national poet of Wales. The Cardiff-born poet and playwright will succeed Professor Gwyn Thomas when she takes over the role later this month. Ms Clarke is a set-text poet for GCSE and A-level English, and is well known to students and ...
Brown tells First Great Western it's near the end of the line; Warning for train company to improve or go.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Tomos Livingstone Political Editor GORDON BROWN last night put troubled train firm First Great Western on notice to improve or lose its franchise, saying, "I'm on the side of the passenger". Inan interview with the Western Mail, the Prime Minister said he was ...
Land of the Nimbys - How Welsh try to send developers elsewhere; Casinos vie with landfill as the most unpopular.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Rhodri Clark FOUR out of five people in Wales have been classed as "Nimbys" by an annual survey that reveals hardening opposition to new buildings, roads or industrial developments. The research also reveals another increase in the proportion of people who ...
Hart gives go-ahead for plans to boost Prince Philip's.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... WORK on plans to improve services at Prince Philip Hospital, in Llanelli, has been given the go-ahead. Health Minister Edwina Hart yesterday said detailed plans to increase surgical short-stay and endoscopy facilities and enhance breast care services could now be drawn up. The ...
uk news bulletin: Two marines die in Afghan bomb blast.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... TWO Royal Marines have been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday. The deaths bring the number of British military fatalities in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001 to 91. The soldiers, serving ...
uk news bulletin: Pensions row may spark postal strike.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE threat of a fresh national strike by postal workers is expected to move a step closer today in a row over pensions. The Communication Workers Union will announce the result of a ballot among tens of thousands of workers on changes to Royal Mail pensions, including the ...
uk news bulletin: BA starts returning 19,000 bags.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE chief executive of British Airways last night issued a fresh apology to travellers caught up in the Heathrow Terminal 5 fiasco but insisted the new facility would be a success. Willie Walsh said BA was holding 19,000 bags in temporary storage - rather than 28,000 as the ...
world news bulletin: Attacks continue on Iraq Green Zone.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... BAGHDAD'S fortified Green Zone came under renewed attack yesterday, less than 24 hours after anti-Western Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr told his forces to stand down following a week of clashes with government security forces. Al-Sadr's order stopped short of disarming his ...
world news bulletin: Cooke's daughter confronts accused.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE daughter of veteran broad caster Alistair Cooke came face to face with a man accused of hacking up her father's corpse in a multi-million-pound bodysnatching ring yesterday. Susan Cooke Kittredge said she did not give her permission for her father's body parts to be taken ...
world news bulletin: Kercher murder suspects appeal.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE three suspects held over the murder of British student Meredith Kercher will make a final appeal to be freed today in Italy's highest court. Judges in Rome will hear arguments from lawyers requesting the release of US student Amanda Knox, her former Italian boyfriend ...
Diana coroner throws out talk of royal murder plots; Mohamed al Fayed's conspiracy theories rejected as 'worthless'.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: John Bingham and Helen William THE coroner at the inquest of Diana, Princess of Wales yesterday ruled out the possibility of a finding that she was murdered saying there is "not a shred of evidence". Lord Justice Scott Baker also branded butler Paul Burrell a ...
Spacey claims BBC unfair in 'promoting' musicals.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... KEVIN SPACEY has hit out at the BBC for unfairly promoting musicals like The Sound of Music and Any Dream Will Do through its Andrew Lloyd Webber TV talent shows. The Hollywood star and artistic director of the Old Vic theatre, pictured below, accused the BBC of "crossing the ...
Lords call for cap on immigrants to Britain.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... THE Government should cap levels of immigration to Britain, a parliamentary inquiry concluded. Peers, including two former Chancellors and several other Cabinet Ministers, delivered a blow to the Home Office by concluding that record immigration had led to "little or no impact" ...
Mugabe's opponents fear Zimbabwe dictator will steal lost' election.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... FEARS were growing last night that Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was planning a massive election fraud in the face of overwhelming defeat by his opponents. Only a trickle of official results from Saturday's ballot had emerged, leading critics to say they were being ...
Take your mortgages elsewhere, says Rock; Move to halve the size of bank and repay pounds 24bn bail-out loan.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Western Mail reporter NORTHERN ROCK said yesterday it would encourage borrowers to remortgage with rival lenders when their deals come up for renewal under plans to shrink its mortgage book by more than half. Ron Sandler, executive chairman of the ...
Seal hunt protest boat 'in collision'.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... A COASTGUARD icebreaker and a ship owned by a conservation group collided yesterday as tensions mounted over the annual Canadian seal hunt. A spokesman for Canada's Fisheries Department said the icebreaker was "grazed" twice by the Farley Mowat, a 177ft vessel owned by the ...
Objecting to ad's 'He's Welsh' quip shows a 'sense of humour bypass' Plaid AM says it does not pay to over-react and be too touch.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Steffan Rhys A COMPLAINT about a TV advert accusedofmocking theWelsh was last night itself attacked for suffering froma "sense of humour bypass". Politicians also claimed the complaint about the light-hearted Barclaycard advert, which was rejected by the ...
In life, as in racing, David believed in fair play; Ex-racing driver and lecturer in fatal plane crash.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Steffan Rhys ASWANSEA lecturer was yesterday confirmed as one of five men killed when a private plane crashed into a house in Kent on Sunday. David Leslie, 54, a former motor racing champion, was killed when the twin-engined Cessna Citation I plane he was ...
Lucky escape for occupants of house.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... INVESTIGATORS were last night combing the wreckage of Sunday's fatal plane crash for clues as to what caused the accident. And it emerged yesterday that, had the accident happened an hour earlier, three more people could have been killed. Peter Hale, whose parents Ed ...
Tory top-slicing of BBC licence fee 'will bring us US television disaster' Expert slates Tory television proposals.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: David Williamson Senedd Correspondent ONE of Wales' leading media experts warned that the Conservative vision for the future of British broadcasting could end in disaster. A Tory report calls for the creation of "super-local" channels such as those found in ...
Duffy dresses down for video shoot.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... CHART-TOPPING Welsh singer Duffy fixes her make-up as she films the video for her new single. The video for the forthcoming single Warwick Avenue is being shot in London. The song, taken from her debut album Rockferry, is a follow-up to her number one single Mercy, ...
Jade was our precious girl. Be strong, hold Rhiannon's hand. Take care; Parents and friends tell of tragic loss.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Tomos Livingstone TWO grieving families yesterday paid tribute to their "stunning, beautiful" teenage daughters killed in an horrific car crash at the weekend. And the mother of one of the girls has described the devastating moment she heard of her daughter's ...
Stonehenge dig bids to solve the mystery of the bluestones.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... ARCHAEOLOGISTS yesterday began a historic dig which they hope will unravel the ancient mystery of Stonehenge and its links to Wales. A trench is being excavated at the world heritage site in a bid to establish the precise dating of the double bluestone circle, the first stone ...
Minister to fight for ex-miners losing on payout; Parity sought with Scots on compensation.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Martin Shipton Chief Reporter WALES OFFICE Minister Huw Irranca-Davies last night agreed to take up the case of Welsh miners denied compensation they would have received if they had worked in Scotland. Mr Irranca-Davies said he would raise the issue with his ...
Real men opt for grooming in male-only salons as the Henson style factor kicks-in; Manicures, spray tans and facials are all taking off.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Tim Lewis A TREND for male grooming parlours, once the preserve of up market areas of cities like London, is hitting Wales in style according to experts. Ordinary Welshmen are following in the footsteps of the likes of Gavin Henson and David Beckham by ...
Farmer banned from keeping animals.(News)
Apr 01, 2008 ... A 73-YEAR-OLD man described by his barrister as "a headstrong man of the soil whose family has farmed for centuries" was yesterday banned indefinitely from keeping cattle, sheep or pigs. Arfon Jones, of Bryncir, Garndolbenmaen in Gwynedd, admitted 13 charges relating to his ...
way out west.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... ZUT alors! It's good to see that our visions are undimmed as we welcome a new entente aimable and put all our futures into the friendly French nuclear basket. It seems like only yesterday that advocates of fission technology assured us that it was not just a way of incinerating ...
Western Mail COMMENT: Sticks and stones may break our bones ...(Leaders)
Apr 01, 2008 ... ALES may be experiencing a wave of self-confidence on the back of another Grand Slam triumph - even attracting the brief attention of the London media - but it seems some of our sillier old habits are pretty hard to kick. There is a tendency in some quarters to take complaining ...
Letter: Action needed to stop climate change.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... SIR - Climate change is already having a devastating impact on our planet, its people and its wildlife. Hundreds of millions of people are being put at severe risk of drought, floods, starvation, and disease. By the middle of the century, up to one third of land-based species could face ...
Letter: Crickhowell praised.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: REV BOB MORGAN SIR-In your list of unheralded people who have contributed much to Welsh life I would like to add a former Secretary of State for Wales, Nicholas Edwards, now Lord Crickhowell. He was a most able Secretary of State for Wales, and he has not ...
Letter: Women priests.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: ROBERT IAN WILLIAMS SIR - Although as a Roman Catholic I accept fully the teaching authority of my Church which states women cannot be ordained, I have every sympathy with those women in the Church in Wales who wish to have the opportunity to become bishops. ...
Letter: Money for schools.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: ANDREW FARINA-CHILDS SIR - After campaigning tirelessly since 2003 for the reduction of the speed limit around Blackwood Comprehensive School to 20mph and starting our National S20S Speed Campaign earlier this year, my fellow campaigner Darren Jones and I are overjoyed ...
A POSTCARD FROM WALES.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Send your pictures together with contact details to Saffron Jenkins at wmreaderpics@mediawales.co.uk ...
Letter: Missed opportunity.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: GEOFF COBB SIR - Rhodri Clark's article on the Severn Tunnel (March 29), seemed to be glorifying Britain's "make do and mend" culture; an attitude which, he rightly points out, was not present in some great people when the tunnel was dug - at great human cost. ...
Letter: Expensive water.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: J PARKER SIR - Moving back to Wales from England, I was foolish enough to expect the water charges to be less for a non-profit-making company than one with shareholders. Yet ...
Letter: Sea of change.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: KEVIN ETHERIDGE SIR - With nominations due to close this week the electors will be offered a realistic alternative in the constituencies of Islwyn, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen with People's Voice and ...
Letter: MPs' crocodile tears.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: H JENKINS SIR - I have to say I was extremely shocked to hear about Labour MPs who had voted in Parliament to push ahead with plans to close local post offices. After hearing so many Labour MPs promise to fight in their local communities to save the services ...
letter: Patronising tone.(Letters)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: BRIAN CHRISTLEY SIR - Jacqui Smith's slow word-by-word patronising tone on Sunday's World at One on Radio 4 ...
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... The great thing about human language is that it ...
Gwrthod gwrando yn broblem gynyddol; welsh column.(Features)(Column)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Hafina Clwyd NID yn y bore mae canmol tywydd teg meddir. Bu cryn dipyn o heipio ar terfynfa newydd sbon danlli Heathrow, y mwyaf modern yn y byd ac wedi costio ffortiwn. Gwers i'w dysgu: peidiwch a defnyddio dim byd nes eich bod yn gwybod ei fod ynmynd i ...
It's time to show our gratitude to the Gurkhas.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: denise robertson TEN days ago Gurkha ex-servicemen gathered in front of the Palace of Westminster to return the medals they had received for fighting in the defence of Britain. They were objecting to the fact that many of their number are denied the right to ...
Feeling so cosy about Sarkozy.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: denise robertson I HAVE not felt warmth towards France for years. Succeeding leaders of that country have seemed either hostile or patronising to Britain. But the Sarkozy visit has stirred within me the ashes of entente ...
It's monstrous to deny this woman her chance of a child.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: denise robertson MAKING NHS care the subject of a postcode lottery is unforgivable and yet it is happening. In some areas it is possible to get IVF in almost all circumstances. In others it is not. But the most iniquitous exception of all is the ...
Morning Serial; Hole: Kidnapped in Georgia.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: by Peter Shaw Surely if we were driving over main, or even minor roads, it wouldn't take this long to reach the capital; if I'd indeed been kept in the Borjomi region. As my discomfort increased, so did my doubts. Where then, was I being taken? What did these people have ...
coffee break: OUIZ OF THE DAY.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... 1. On the Beaufort scale what description is given to a wind speed in excess of 73mph? 2. Gotham is a colloquial name for which city? 3. Which chemical has the symbol K? 4. Found in Alaska, what type of creature is a Kodiak? 5. Which battle is ...
Dancing on the moon's reflection; Preview Cloud Gate Dance Theatre Wales MillenniumCentre, Cardiff coffee break.(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... TAIWAN'S first contemporary dance company will bring its spiritual performance of Moon Water to the Wales Millennium Centre this month, as part of the venue's 2008season of dance. The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre is one of Asia's leading dance companies, which has become renowned ...
Home cooking Soy-basted trout with crispy bacon and fennel; coffee break.(Features)(Recipe)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Ingredients 2 tbsp organic Italian extra virgin oil, plus a little extra for brushing 2 organic brown trout 1 tbsp organic soy sauce 1/2 organic fennel bulb, thinly sliced 3 rashers organic dry-cured streaky bacon, thinly sliced ...
They said what?(Features)
Apr 01, 2008 ... "Going out with a shrink is tantamount to thinking about dating a house pet" Entertainer Ruby Wax responds to a woman who lusts after her psychiatrist "I am shocked but not surprised. The Speaker should be setting a good example, and he is not. MPs have got to get ...
Eatonfield's 505% growth in profit helps it maintain its confidence; Former Corus site could be worth pounds 100m, developer hopes.(Business)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Aled Blake Business Correspondent COMMERCIAL property developer Eatonfield yesterday said it had increased profits by 505% in the last six months of 2007. The Cardiff and Mold-based company said revenue had risen by71%topounds 5.81mfrompounds 3.39min 2006 ....
Siemens to build and run gas power plant.(Business)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Aled Blake POWER station company Welsh Power has appointed Siemens to develop its pounds 450m gas-turbine plant at Uskmouth. Welsh Power's subsidiary Severn Power signed contracts with Siemens AG and Siemens for the design, engineering, construction, ...
S&N votes to sell for pounds 7.8bn.(Business)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Aled Blake SCOTTISH & NEWCASTLE shareholders have called time on more than 250 years of brewing history by backing a proposed pounds 7.8bn takeover yesterday. The company said investors voted unanimously in favour of the sale of the UK's biggest brewer - best ...
pounds 3/4 m for Northern Rock chief a 'reward for failure' But payment 'substantially less' than due.(Business)
Apr 01, 2008 ... Byline: Matt Dickinson Apounds 760,000 pay-off for the former chief of nationalised bank Northern Rock was yesterday branded a "reward for failure". Adam Applegarth, who stepped down as chief executive in December, will receive the sum despite leading the lender into ...
city market report.(Business)
Apr 01, 2008 ... COMMERCIAL broadcaster ITV led declines on the London market yesterday amid fears over advertising revenues in another turbulent day for blue chip stocks. The group's shares shed 7%, or 4.6p to 63.3p, after a pessimistic note from broker UBS suggested it could be hit hard if ...