Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales) back issues from January 2009:
Pensions must double for 'comfortable' living; Campaigners call for change 100 years after UK's first state benefit.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Sarah Miloudi ELDERLY people are being "let down" by a pensions system that leaves them unable to afford basic items, campaigners warn today on the 100th anniversary of the first state benefit. Exactly a century ago today, more than half a million people aged ...
After 12 years of 'sinning' Cityboy's making amends; After making a fortune, analyst turns to charity.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Robin Turner GERAINT ANDERSON, the Welsh Labour peer's son whose explosive book exposed greed and dirty tricks in the city, plans to spend the next 12 years "in redemption". The 36-year-old who grew up in Swansea where his father Donald, now Baron Anderson, ...
Megan, in her sixties, is planning to ride from China's Dragon's Head to Worm's Head in Gower to help kids; East-West trek will come to an end at Worm's Head.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Katie Norman THEY are two locations united by the same mythical beast. Old Dragon's Head, in eastern China, has a rather more obvious connection with the creature that gives it its name than Worm's Head, in Gower, which takes it name from the old English word ...
Landlords to face council crackdown.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... COUNCIL bosses will clamp down on rogue landlords as a new licensing scheme is introduced in Swansea to help improve accommodation standards From today all houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in the Uplands and Castle wards will need a licence irrespective of the size of the property. ...
Man bailed over death.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A BRITISH man has been bailed in Tenerife as investigations continue into the violent death of his child's mother. Leighton Richardson was arrested on Christmas Eve after his ex-girlfriend, Lisa McConway, 28, was found at her flat in the holiday resort of Playa de las Americas ....
More support for disabled children; wales news bulletin.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... PARENTS of children with disabilities in Wales are benefiting from improved access to funding. Joint research by Shelter Cymru and Contact a Family Wales has revealed that since the Welsh Assembly Government scrapped means testing for the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2004, many ...
Two injured in M4 collision; wales news bulletin.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... TWO people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after a crash on the M4. The accident happened at about 7pm on Tuesday as the two cars were travelling eastbound between ...
Wife pays tribute to late husband; wales news bulletin.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A CWMBRAN woman has paid a moving tribute to her husband and the father of her three children. Michael Price, 42, died on Monday in a road accident on the A4051 Malpas dual ...
Two rescued from burning building; wales news bulletin.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... TWO people were taken to hospital after being rescued by firefighters from the roof of a burning building. The two people were taken by ambulance to the Countess of Chester Hospital after the fire at a flat in a mid-terrace property in ...
Government 'breaking green promises' with rail fare rise.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Rhodri Clark THE Government was criticised yesterday for allowing rail fares between England andWales to rise by up to 264% while increasing the cost of cross-border car journeys by less than the rate of inflation. Tomorrow the M4 Severn Crossing tolls will ...
Freeze set to continue.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... WALES faces more freezing temperatures in the new year as the cold snap will continue until at least next week. Partygoers last night braved the bitterly cold weather to celebrate the new year as the mercury fell to -3degC in parts of Wales. The Met Office last night ...
Fears Wales could again face returning Euro aid; Some cash replacing Objective One 'could remain unspent'.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Darren Devine EXPERTS have warned Wales could again face the prospect of sending aid money back because it cannot spend it quickly enough. Russell Lawson, spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales, has warned some of the European convergence ...
'Double the value of pensions or restore their link with earnings' Centenary of first state pensions sees Welsh push for 'fairer' benefit.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Sarah Miloudi THE state pension should be raised to pounds 124 per week, it was claimed last night. On the eve of Pensions Day leading figures in Wales claimed that the full state pension should increase by a third to ensure the elderly population can ...
Sugar-level rise is clue to 'senior moments'.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... RAISED blood sugar levels may be to blame for memory lapses or so-called "senior moments" that commonly occur with increasing age, a new study has shown. The research suggests even in healthy individuals with no hint of diabetes, keeping blood sugar under control could be the ...
The human cost of this conflict is unacceptable and the humanitarian situation is getting worse by the hour.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Daniel Bentley BRITAIN has pledged EUR10m towards emergency humanitarian aid in the crisis-stricken Gaza Strip. International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander said the money would help provide urgently-needed food and fuel to the Palestinian territory, ...
'Without a truce the future will bring more fear, innocent suffering and destruction to the region'.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday called for a New Year "period of truce" in the Middle East, to allow the Israelis and Palestinians time to explore ways to restart the peace process. In a statement released by Lambeth Palace, Rowan Williams urged the outgoing US President ...
Children in Gaza are battling to stay alive.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Thousands of children in Gaza are facing a battle to stay alive due to acute food shortages, a British-based charity has claimed. Save the Children UK said many youngsters were at risk from malnutrition as it launched an appeal to raise pounds 6.8m to combat the deepening ...
uk news bulletin: Men found dead at sea are named.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... TWO men whose bodies were found in the sea by rescuers two days after they went missing in a rowing boat, have been named by police. Bernard Faulkner, 55, and Jamie Beecham, 32, were last seen rowing in a dinghy off Queen borough dock, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, at 6.30pm ...
uk news bulletin: Travellers can bring back more duty-free.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... THE amount of duty-free goods UK travellers can bring back from non-EU countries is to rise for the second time in a month. From today UK residents will be able to bring back pounds 340 of items such as fragrance, electrical products and souvenirs compared with the current ...
uk news bulletin: Gerrard back at training following arrest.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... ENGLAND footballer Steven Gerrard returned to training yesterday following his arrest. The 28-year-old - charged with assault and affray - joined team mates at Liverpool FC's Mel wood training ground. The An field star was greeted by a few fans who turned out despite the ...
world news bulletin: Basque bomb hits television station.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A BASQUE separatist car bomb wrecked a television station in the northern Spanish city of Bilbao yesterday. No injuries were reported in the explosion, which came after a warning from the terrorist group Eta. The bomb went off outside the offices of the EITB regional television ...
world news bulletin: 54 die in Bangkok nightclub blaze.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... AT least 54 New Year's revellers died in a fire that swept through a nightclub in the Thai capital Bangkok, rescue workers said last night. Workers counting the bodies at the scene said about 100 others were injured when the blaze broke out in the two-storey building. ...
world news bulletin: Dairy chief on trial over tainted milk.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... THE former chairwoman of the dairy company at the heart of China's tainted milk scandal has gone on trial on charges of selling fake or substandard products. Tian Wenhua, former board chairwoman and general manager of Sanlu Group Co, and three other top executives could face the ...
The year ahead 'won't be easy', concedes Brown; But he is confident that the British people will rise to the challenge.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Daniel Bentley GORDON BROWN today warned the country that 2009 "won't be easy" as it faces up to the economic crisis. In the Prime Minister's traditional New Year message, he insisted that Britain would pull through - but admitted the challenge was ...
Archbishop's New Year Message urges focus on our fellow human beings and not just on finances.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... The Archbishop of Canterbury has warned against focusing solely on economic woes as he described children and the most vulnerable as the "real treasure" and wealth of society. Dr Rowan Williams acknowledged anxiety and insecurity prompted by fears about job losses, disappearing ...
3% fall in trips by overseas visitors.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... THE number of visits to the UK by overseas residents is likely to have dipped nearly 3% in 2008, it has been claimed. National tourism agency VisitBritain said visits were expected to total 31.9 million - a 2.7% drop on the 2007 figure. But the amount spent by foreign visitors ...
Actor Dillon charged with speeding.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... ACTOR Matt Dillon has been charged with speeding at more than 100mph on a Vermont interstate highway. Dillon was pulled over by a state trooper on Interstate 91 in Newbury yesterday. He was ...
Presenter bows out after a decade in the sun.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Vicky Shaw WEATHER presenter Andrea McLean has left GMTV after more than a decade on the show. Among the tributes paid, the 39-year-old was yesterday told by anchor Kate Garraway: "You light up the screen. Everybody loves you." During the ...
Britain defies court to hand over two Iraqis; Men may face execution in Iraq for murdering British soldiers.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Tony Humphries BRITAIN has handed over two Iraqis accused of murdering UK soldiers to the Iraqi authorities, despite a European Court injunction against the decision. The European Court of Human Rights had put an "eleventh-hour" freeze on the transfer of ...
Human head found in bag.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A HUMAN head has been found in a bag by a woman while she was out walking. The discovery was made yesterday in the Newhaven area of Edinburgh. Lothian and Borders Police have launched an investigation. It is thought the head may be several years old and it ...
Police plan to spend pounds 10,000 on massages.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A POLICE force has come under fire for its decision to spend thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money providing staff with Indian head massages. Sussex Police has invited tenders for a contract reportedly worth up to pounds 10,000 to provide the on-site service to soothe stressed ...
So who's going to straighten their hair this year? It's that time of year again-when New Year's resolutions are made and forgotten with alarming ease. But what will the great and the good of Wales be trying to achieve this year? Clare Hutchinson and Sarah Bunney find out.(News)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Clare Hutchinson and Sarah Bunney Lembit Opik, Lib Dem MP "I want to findaway to stop getting so many pointless emails. I get over 140 a day and I fear that one day I will open one from months ago and realise it was Barack Obama saying 'You're the only person ...
'The Great Depression? This is much, much worse than that' Oldest working estate agent is shocked at property market slide.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Mike Jones WHEN Saul Magrill started work as a property consultant, the world's economy was in turmoil. That was in 1931, at the height of the Great Depression. Fast forward nearly 80 years, and Mr Magrill, now 94, is still working in the housing ...
Wales news bulletin: Police investigate baby's death.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... POLICE officers are continuing to investigate the death of a baby on Christmas Day in Llanelli. A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police said the identity of the eight-weekold baby boy was not being released at present. Police have so far not given details of where in ...
Wales news bulletin: Winehouse faces Norwegian court.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... SINGER Amy Winehouse has been summoned to appear inaNorwegian court on January 12 in her appeal against a fine in a drugs possession case. Winehouse and her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, were arrested in Bergen in October 2007 on charges of possessing 7g of marijuana. ...
Wales news bulletin: Fingerprint entry system for homes.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... HI-TECH fingerprint entry systems are being installed in the homes of vulnerable adults in Wales. A trial project has been set up by Community Lives Consortium in Neath Port Talbot, to examine how the ...
Wales news bulletin: Bishop of St Asaph election next week.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A NEW Bishop of St Asaph will be chosen on Monday by a college of 47 people, including the five Welsh bishops. In a series of closeddoor meetings they will nominate and vote on candidates for up to three days. Once a decision is made, the Archbishop of ...
pounds 2m fund to boost landmarks' access.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... VISITORS to some of Wales' historic landmarks are set to benefit from a pounds 2m fund to improve access. The Welsh Assembly Government today announced it would set aside the money to launch a Welsh cultural heritage initiative. Ten iconic sites will be included in ...
Man jailed for selling fake clothes on eBay.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A MAN has been jailed for 12 months after selling hundreds of fake designer clothes on eBay. Huw David Rees, 28, of Commercial Street, Maesteg, admitted transferring criminal property and three counts of unauthorised use of a trademark. Newport Crown Court heard ...
Store locks jammed in small-shops protest.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... A MAN who jammed the locks of more than 20 chain stores may have used a chip carton to conceal filler used in the attacks. Shops were targeted on "mad Friday" - December 20 - in Ceredigion town centre and nearby retail parks. Storekeepers were also left leaflets ...
Eleanor didn't even know what an MBE was when she heard.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Gareth Rogers YOUNG swimmer Eleanor Simmonds has spoken of her shock at becoming the first minor ever to be appointed an MBE. The 14-year-old Paralympic star, who stands just 3ft 9in tall, has revealed she is now focusing on London 2012 and future games. ...
2009 - a year to stay under covers or when genius is rediscovered? OPINION second glance.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: David Williamson IS THAT sound the hoof beats of apocalyptic horses or just the central heating packing up? Has there ever been a year which has started with so many people wanting to stay under the duvet? Why don't humans come with a hibernation switch so we ...
Western Mail COMMENT: A generation faces old age on the poverty line.(Leaders)
Jan 01, 2009 ... IT HAS been 100 years since state pensions were first introduced in the UK. In the space of that century, millions of people have come to rely on this weekly injection of state aid in their old age. The fact that state pensions still exist in this world now dominated ...
Letter: Who will lead Wales out of recession?(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: JOHN HUMPHRIES SIR - A question for your readers: If First Minister Rhodri Morgan intends sticking around long enough to lead Wales out of recession, who will peg out first - Morgan or Wales? Before answering, readers of the Western Mail will recall that when ...
Letter: Tribute to Terence.(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: DAVID K LEACH SIR - On December 5, 1955, a Royal Marine from Wales, Terence Roberts, aged 23, was killed in Cyprus in an ambush by Eoka terrorists. He left a widow and young family. I served with the Royal Marines 1954-56 and completed Commando training with ...
Letter: Days of true science.(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: IOAN RICHARD SIR - In Clydach, Swansea, near my home, there is the large Swansea Valley INCO Refinery (it used to be called the Mond Works). It is a major industrial complex extracting mostly nickel (and several other trace elements such as cadmium) from ores ....
Letter: Snow no surprise.(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: GORDON JAMES SIR - We should not be too surprised by the light snow that John Etherington (Letters, Dec 20) observed in Pembrokeshire before Christmas. A year ago, the Met Office predicted that 2008 would be cooler because of the influence of a strong La Nina in the ...
A POSTCARD FROM WALES.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Send your pictures together with contact details to Saffron Jenkins at wmreaderpics@mediawales.co.uk ...
Letter: God help us!(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: IAN MCNICHOLAS SIR - I am appalled at the degree of prevarication being used by the company promoting the so-called "green" wood-burning power station in Port Talbot. To start with, burning wood creates CO2 and water vapour, two of the WORST greenhouse gases ...
Letter: Practise tolerance.(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: DR DAVID GWYNFOR SAMUEL SIR - In modern society, religion is often seen as an unimportant, specialoccasion-only accessory. Like many choirs, the average congregations are often middle-aged or older, and young people do not see any appeal in attending churches ....
Letter: Damned either way.(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: D W ROBERTS SIR - Following cases like Baby P, there is much advice to social workers to play safe, and to take children away from potentially abusive parents early in their investigations, usually on mere suspicion. The headline "Large payout for parents ...
Letter: THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.(Letters)
Jan 01, 2009 ... To us a child is born, to us a son is given: and his name shall be called ...
happy new year; Around the world, revellers bid farewell to a rocky year and hope for a fresh start and better days to come in 2009.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... FIREWORKS explode over Sydney's shimmering harbour, above, as the world's major city to ring in 2009 celebrates the of a rocky year with cheers, beers and a sense of relief. Party-goers everywhere struggled to forget troubles on what is typically a joyous night. the Philippines, ...
Tawelwch y moelydd yn arwydd o newid byd; welsh column.(Features)(Column)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Dylan Iorwerth BOB tro, mae fel pe baech yn gweld y lle am y tro cynta erioed, ac mai chi yw'r cynta erioed i fod yno. Y diwrnod wedi'r Nadolig, a hithau'n grisial o oer, roedd y moelydd uwch capel Soar y Mynydd mor anial ag erioed. Ac afon Doethie'n rhimyn ...
'Changes could help avoid new tragedies' The evil crimes of the serial killer Harold Shipman forced an overhaul in cremation laws. Justice Minister Bridget Prentice explains how the new system will work.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Bridget Prentice THE horror of the mass murders committed by Harold Shipman highlighted weaknesses in the systems of death certification and funeral arrangements that were then in place. For the first time we are putting in place a system that will give ...
The Death of Justice; Morning Serial.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: by Michael O'Brien Ms Tunstall writes: "(A named police officer) began by saying 'I understand you admitted together with some other persons of being responsible for the attack on Mr Saunders, is that right?' That however, is not what Darren had admitted at the end of ...
coffee break: QUIZ OF THE DAY.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... 1. In pre-decimal currency how much was a florin worth? 2. In the Japanese martial art of kendo what are shinai? 3. In which country was Osama Bin Laden born? 4. Cedric Errol is the title character in which book? 5. Dating from 1789, the ...
Tour date for jazz super-group; coffee break Preview Julian Arguelles Trio Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... FORMER member of Loose Tubes Julian Arguelles will bring his jazz trio to Wales this month as part of his UK tour. He started his musical career at the age of 14 and quickly gained a reputation for being an original musician. He made his first professional mark in ...
Home cooking; coffee break Iced trifle slice with toasted almond topping.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Ingredients 2 tbsp Waitrose Toasted Flaked Almonds, plus a handful for decorating 1/2 x 284ml pot Waitrose Select Farm whipping cream 1/2 x 500g pot Waitrose Fresh Vanilla Custard 2 tbsp brandy 1/4x450g tub YeoValley Organic Summer ...
They said what? coffee break.(Features)
Jan 01, 2009 ... "When there was talk about some sort of Tony Blair Institute for International Relations at the London School of Economics, people just killed it because it was such a joke. It would have been like the Saddam Hussein Institute for Human Rights" Philippe Sands, law professor, ...
Headaches all round for the uncertain market forecasters; FTSE 100 sees worst performance in 24 years.(Business)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Aled Blake Business Correspondent EXPERTS across the City have reined in their stock market forecasts for 2009 after a turbulent year for shares left most with egg on their faces. Bullish predictions that the FTSE 100 Index could beat its all-time high to hit ...
Acorn offers firms making redundancies help finding staff jobs.(Business)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Aled Blake Business Correspondent A SERVICE is being offered by employment agency Acorn to help companies considering redundancy programmes to find new jobs for employees and minimise the impact on the business itself. The outplacement service sees Acorn ...
Investment community advised to 'batten down hatches' for 2009; Stock markets appear set for more volatility.(Business)
Jan 01, 2009 ... Byline: Aled Blake Business Correspondent INVESTMENT opportunities in 2009 will be few and far between, a senior figure in HSBC Wales' operation has said. Harry Lewis, of HSBC Private Bank, which is based in Cardiff Bay, described 2009 as "a great challenge" for those ...
Bid to build up research partnerships.(Business)
Jan 01, 2009 ... AN INITIATIVE to forge partnerships between business and universities in Wales is being launched this month. The initiative will enable companies and academia to become involved in research and development projects, working with the newly-established research and technology ...
Holiday cottages specialist grows.(Business)
Jan 01, 2009 ... HOLIDAY homes specialist Menai Holiday Cottages has increased its portfolio by 35 cottages in the past year. The company, one of Wales' leading holiday cottage businesses, saw its portfolio of properties rise from 115 to 150 as the company moved to meet the increasing demand of ...