Wales (Cymru)

There should be sweeping changes in how the Welsh Government approaches work and the enforcement of labour rights in Wales, according to a major report commissioned by the Wales TUC.

Professor Jean Jenkins, a leading expert in employment rights at Cardiff Business School, has recommended that there should be a Minister for Work in the next Welsh Government Cabinet and that a working group should be established to look at the practicalities of devolving employment rights to Wales.

Teachers are striking at a high school where a union says there have been more than 50 serious incidents of verbal and physical abuse since September.

A maths teacher at Pencoedtre High School in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, said a decline in pupil behaviour left staff with "no choice" .

NASUWT said six schools in Wales are now in disputes over classroom safety.

Labour frontbenchers have accused the UK's culture secretary Lucy Frazer of doing nothing to address the crisis at Welsh language broadcaster S4C.

A string of bullying accusations has left the organisation's leadership in turmoil.

Jo Stevens and Thangam Debbonaire said that a "damaging situation" was continuing "unchecked" by the UK government.

The Conversation with the Public was led by the Bevan Commission, Wales’ leading independent think tank for issues related to health and social care, in collaboration with Llais and local health boards and trusts across Wales, and one event was conducted online. This aimed to engage local people in an open and honest conversation about their health and wellbeing and the future of health and social care services; setting out the current context for health and social care and drawing insight from their experiences, understanding and expectations, to help identify solutions for the future.

To achieve this, a multilayered engagement approach was designed, incorporating both in-person and survey-based data collection techniques, ensuring where possible, both richness and representation in response. Face-to-face town hall style events were conducted locally in each of the seven health board areas across Wales, engaging directly with around two-hundred citizens, whilst national level surveys were disseminated through multiple means, receiving upwards of two-thousand responses.

Wales needs powers to introduce more income tax bands, the leader of Plaid Cymru has said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth said he wants people who earn less to keep more of their wages and people who earn more to pay more.

The Member of the Senedd for Ynys Mon will set out his economic ideas in a speech in Cardiff on Tuesday.

A scheme to build 450 homes on a greenfield site in Wrexham has narrowly been given the go-ahead.

It is the first large development to go before the council since it adopted its local development plan in December, after rejecting it twice.

Seven members of the planning committee voted for the housing while six rejected it.

A former school in Ruthin could be demolished to make way for new homes – although an ecological survey has concluded bats could be present at the site. Roberts Homes has applied to Denbighshire County Council’s planning department, seeking permission to knock down the former Ysgol Y Rhewl.

The village school near Ruthin closed in 2018 when pupils moved to the newly built Rhos Street School. The applicant plans to demolish the school and replace the building with eight homes, including access, a parking area, landscaping and associated works.

The new 20mph default speed limit in built-up areas in Wales will start to be enforced this month.

The Welsh government has confirmed the £34m law, which came into effect last September, will be enforced in January after the "initial bedding in period".

But ministers have said not all drivers breaking the 20mph (32km/h) limit will initially be prosecuted, just the most dangerous offenders.

A plan to increase council tax bills by 8.5% in Newport has been branded a “bitter pill to swallow” for city residents.

Matthew Evans, the Conservative opposition leader in the council chamber, said the extra costs would mean a “not-so-happy new year for our residents”.

On Thursday (January 4), Newport City Council unveiled its draft budget proposals for next year, and said it would have to find nearly £5 million in savings to balance the books.

Pembrokeshire faces tough decisions in 2024, Council Leader David Simpson has said in his new year address.

Cllr Simpson said: “Happy New Year to you all. I hope you have enjoyed time with friends and family this festive season.

“As we welcome 2024, I want to thank the Pembrokeshire public for their support over the past 12 months.

We have lots to be proud of in Swansea: our gorgeous beaches, fantastic arena and live music venues, and warm and welcoming independent shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, to name but a few. But, like many other cities across the UK, it's far from plain sailing.

With a new year comes a fresh start, a time for people to set new goals and aspirations - or to pick up projects and challenges they faced the year before with some new energy and vigour. There's lots we'd like to see improved in Swansea this year - and we'd be keen to hear your ideas for things you'd like to see changed, adapted or redeveloped in the city.

The race to be Wales' next First Minister continues today as one candidate sets out his pledges for our future.

Jeremy Miles, the current education minister, will launch his leadership campaign in Swansea on Saturday, where he plans to outline six pledges as his policy priorities for the Welsh Government if he were in charge. The six policies focus on the economy, the NHS, schools, housing, transport and "strengthening Welsh democracy."

Plaid Cymru has hit out at Welsh Labour leader candidate Vaughan Gething over promises he has made about the NHS should he be successful in replacing Mark Drakeford as First Minister.

Later today (January 5) Mr Gething will announce what is being described as his ‘Welsh NHS Covenant’ at an event to be attended by his fellow party members.

He is expected to pledge that under his leadership the NHS in Wales will never be sold off.

Could Wales be known only by its Welsh name - Cymru - in the future?

A petition calling for just that has been launched - and has so far garnered more than 5,400 signatures.

But that is short of the 10,000 needed for the topic to be debated in the Senedd, or Welsh Parliament.

The petition, on the Senedd's website, says: "Wales is a name imposed on Cymru and is essentially not a Welsh word at all.

Andrew RT Davies has been criticised by members of his own party for describing himself as ‘Leader of the Welsh Conservatives’ when no such role exists.

Mr Davies is, in fact, leader of the 16-strong Tory group at the Senedd, where it is the second largest group behind Labour, which holds 30 of the 60 seats. Plaid Cymru holds 13 and the Liberal Democrats just one.

Scout leaders have told an inquest they accept responsibility for the death of a teenager who fell during a hike.

Ben Leonard, 16, from Stockport, Greater Manchester, slipped 200ft (61m) from the Great Orme in Llandudno, Conwy, on an Explorer Scouts trip in August 2018.

Lawyers for the Scout Association told an inquest in Manchester they accepted they were at fault.

An agreement has been reached between two former Tory Welsh Secretaries about the seats they will fight at the coming general election, ending the possibility of a selection showdown in west Wales.

With redrawn constituency boundaries across Wales to take account of the reduction in the number of Welsh MPs from 40 to 32, there has been speculation that Simon Hart, currently the MP for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, and Stephen Crabb, who represents Preseli Pembrokeshire, might have to go head-to-head for the right to stand in a new seat.

Thousands of Welsh Somalilanders are celebrating an historic agreement with Ethiopia that has given their country formal recognition by another African nation for the first time, more than 30 years after it effectively gained its independence following a bloody civil war.

In May 1991 Somaliland – a former British protectorate in northeast Africa – broke away from Somalia following years of repression under the brutal dictatorship of Siad Barre. Since then it has established itself as a rare beacon for democracy in the continent, having seen a succession of peaceful transitions of power following properly conducted elections.

Councillors are to consider a proposal by an energy firm to allow access across a popular beauty spot for a proposed wind turbine development that would generate a healthy income and enough energy for its entire population.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Cabinet on Wednesday, January 10, councillors will discuss entering into an “option agreement” with EDP Renewables who want to develop a windfarm on Mynydd Bedwellte.

To be able to do this EDP need access across Parc Bryn Bach in Tredegar.

Many parts of Wales remain affected by heavy flooding following Storm Henk. On Thursday morning (January 4), Natural Resources Wales still one severe flood warning, four flood warnings and 20 flood alerts in place.

The severe warning is on the River Ritec at Tenby and there are reports of flooding at the Kiln Park caravan site near the seaside town. Aerial photographs show the entire holiday park being submerged.

People could die unless homelessness services receive more funding, a charity fears.

The director of homelessness and housing charity Cymorth Cymru said vital projects were "on a cliff edge" and could collapse.

Former rough sleeper Cai Garland, 18, said he would be "in jail or dead" without the Welsh government-funded scheme that helped him.

The Chairman of YesCymru has come under fire over the sacking of CEO Gwern Gwynfil and the removal of several members of the board.

In December, Nation.Cymru reported that the Chief Executive had been sacked due to the “needs of the business changing”.

The CEO received the news via an email sent by Director and Chair of YesCymru, Barry Parkin who stated that his position was “no longer required”.

A rare, early medieval cemetery has been unearthed in Wales and it has left archaeologists scratching their heads.

It's thought to date to the 6th or 7th Century and 18 of the estimated 70 graves have been excavated so far.

Some of the well preserved skeletons have been found lying in unusual positions and unexpected artefacts are also emerging from the site.