Archive

  • Work under way on new Wales brand

    THE Welsh Government "has not got the branding of Wales right", business minister Edwina Hart has said. Mrs Hart took questions from AMs today about what was being done to bring investment into Wales - amid criticism that not enough was

  • Jones hails Wales' energy 'opportunity'

    FIRST Minister Carwyn Jones has hailed energy production as a "golden opportunity" for Wales as he unveiled his vision for the sector. Today, the Welsh Government published its Energy Wales document - which sets out how ministers intend to

  • Newport music shop quits city centre for Spytty

    A MUSIC store which has been in Newport for nearly 40 years will quit the city centre due to falling trade. GM Music is moving from its Upper Dock Street, where it has been since 1974, to a unit within Tesco at Newport Retail Park, Spytty.

  • St Asaph made city in surprise move

    TEN years after Newport won city status, St Asaph in North Wales joined Newport, Bangor, Cardiff, St Davids and Swansea to become Wales' newest city. It has a population of around 3,400 - around a fifteenth of the size of fellow new city Perth

  • Gwent women take to catwalk for cancer cause

    THREE Gwent women took to the catwalk with Wales rugby players to help raise money for Breast Cancer Care. Gaynor Sinton, 59, of Llanvaches, Sarah Miles, 37, of Blackwood and Claire Gilbertson, 44, of Abergavenny, joined other women whose lives have

  • Thousands of Gwent ambulance hours still being 'lost' at A&E

    THOUSANDS of ambulance crew hours are still being 'lost' due to slow handovers of patients at Gwent A&E units, despite massive improvements. More than 4,300 hours - almost six months - were lost during the period January 1 2011-February 19 2012, to patient

  • Some encouraging signs in Wales job figures - ministers

    POLITICIANS gave a cautious welcome to news that there has been a rise in employment of 21,000 during the three months to January. Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan and Welsh Government business minister Edwina Hart said the figures showed some encouraging

  • EDITORIAL COMMENT: Newport is on the up

    WE mark the tenth anniversary of Newport being declared a city today with a special free 20-page supplement. Our celebration of a decade since the Queen granted Newport city status as part of her Golden Jubilee highlights many of the positives

  • Welsh National Opera, Wales Millennium Centre

    Blessed be Welsh National Opera for nudging our wintry climes with glowing Sicilian warmth. It's there in the company's fine production of Berlioz's Beatrice and Benedict (based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing), first seen in 1994 and forever

  • Welsh National Opera, Wales Millennium Centre

    New cast members couldn’t wish for a more solid and uncluttered production of Verdi’s La Traviata than the one currently in WNO’s repertory. First seen in 2009, David McVicar’s version establishes a louring atmosphere of unease. Death is in the air

  • BBC National Orchestra of Wales, St David's Hall

    Japanese volinist Akiko Suwanai seemed to have a point to make about size in taking on the concerto chosen for this programme of big-hearted symphonic music. She's not short but she's certainly not as tall as BBCNOW principal guest conductor Jac van

  • Welsh National Opera, Wales Millennium Centre

    'But first we dance' might be the motto of WNO's current production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Add to that standing on furniture to sing and the distortions created by the huge mirrors of Paco Azorin's sets and you have plenty to enliven

  • The King and I, New Theatre

    The King and I arrived at the New Theatre in Cardiff on Tuesday night with a lavish production directed by Paul Kerryson and choreographed by David Needham. The play follows the story of an English widow who travels to the Far East to tutor the

  • Raglan man made indecent child pictures

    A MONMOUTHSHIRE man was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for the next five years after admitting 19 counts of making indecent images of children. Mark Jayne, 32, of Monmouth Road, Raglan

  • Not impressed by market revamp plans

    WOW – three quarters of a million and an artist’s impression on the to be revamped downstairs of the market. If they make the same roaring success of the downstairs as they did for the upstairs, we are in for a treat. The outdoor coffee

  • Unemployment rises by 1,000 in Wales

    UNEMPLOYMENT rose by 1,000 in Wales between November and January the latest figures show. The total jobless count stands at 134,000 with the total unemployment rate at 9.1%. This is against a UK average of 8.4% which reached a 17-year high today after

  • SDR could be M4 relief road

    I HAVE driven the SDR from its opening and generally find it a great M4 alternative. I do feel that the designers missed an opportunity to make it a viable alternative by having most of the roundabouts with tight entrances that reduce speed through

  • Politician’s trial is very refreshing

    I NOTE the trial of Iceland’s former Prime Minister Geir Haarde, accused of negligence in his handling of the 2008 financial crisis that severely undermined the Icelandic economy, has begun in Reykjavik. Here in the UK the financial sector, on

  • New Blackwood Youth Club is paid for from insurance

    IN RESPONSE to Community Councillor Mr A Childs’ letter (March 8) re: Blackwood Youth Club. As a county borough councillor for Blackwood I would like to make the following points: It was Mr Childs’ beloved Plaid who, in order to sell off the site

  • Why are we footing bill for Newport market revamp?

    HOW can Cllr Townsend justify Newport City Council contributing £250,000 to revamp the market? We as residents of Newport are already facing an increase in council tax, when government initiatives were for councils not to increase it, given

  • Newport troublemaker breaches ASBO

    A NEWPORT teenager will be sentenced next month after admitting breaching an anti-social behaviour order (ASBO) within the first month of it being issued. Raakib Ali, 14, of James Street, was made the subject of the two-year anti-social behaviour

  • New Argus broom is fine by me

    WHEN there is a new broom in the editor’s seat there are going to be changes; where he will want to put his own mark on the paper. I only have the Argus as a morning daily delivery and am happy with the new format. All the national and international

  • Pontypool pupils get Fairtrade lesson

    PONTYPOOL pupils got fruity as part of Fairtrade Fortnight celebrations. Children and staff at Ysgol Bryn Onnen donned Fairtrade fruit and vegetable costumes as part of a week full of activities to mark the occasion. This included guest

  • Newport-born girl shares city birthday

    NEWPORT may be celebrating its decade of city status today, but there is one girl who has another reason to celebrate. Lauren-Jay Peaple will celebrate her tenth birthday after being born in Newport on the day it was declared a city. The ten-year-old

  • Jenks expects toughest test

    NEIL Jenkins yesterday demonstrated diplomacy skills worthy of Henry Kissinger and Khofi Anan when he built up Les Bleus as well, if not better, than your average patriotic Frenchman, writes Iwan Davies. Wales great Jenkins, now on the nation’s coaching

  • Dragons opt to leave out Tovey again

    FLY-HALF Jason Tovey will not feature against his future employers tomorrow evening but Newport Gwent Dragons head coach Darren Edwards has not ruled out giving him a last hurrah for the region. The 22-year-old will move to Cardiff Blues at

  • Man raped in sadistic Oakdale party attack, jury told

    A VALLEYS man was subjected to a “depraved” and “sadistic” physical and sexual attack by four men after he fell unconscious at a party, a court heard yesterday. The man, who had taken drugs, was stripped naked before his body, head and eyebrows

  • We deserve Slam insists 2008 hero Hook

    JAMES Hook believes Wales fully deserve the Grand Slam this season as he and his teammates gear up for Saturday’s historic clash with France. The Perpignan outside-half played in this Six Nations campaign’s victories over Ireland, Scotland

  • Smoking ban begins in Gwent hospital grounds

    SMOKING is banned in the grounds of all Gwent hospitals from today, the habit condemned as “not acceptable in a place of healing” by a public health chief. Shelters where patients, visitors and staff could smoke at the area’s three main hospitals

  • Caldicot man who stole from son's charity fund to be sentenced

    A GWENT man who stole £16,500 from a fund set up to help his son fight a degenerative disease will be sentenced on Friday. Julian Emms, 46, of Castle Lodge Close, Caldicot, was found guilty of fraud by abuse of position after he took £16,500 from a

  • Hughes boost for County

    NEWPORT County have received a major boost ahead of Saturday’s FA Trophy semi-final second leg with the news that defender Andrew Hughes has signed a new contract. The talented teenager, who has been a target for several Football League clubs after a

  • Morgan: Class of 2012 can be legends

    FORMER Newport Gwent Dragons favourite Kevin Morgan has urged this Wales side to seize the golden opportunity to become “legends” against France on Saturday. Victory over Les Bleus will give this side the chance of being talked about in the same breath

  • Fabulous start to Cheltenham Festival

    THE CRÈME de la crème of equine talent mixed it with showbiz stars on day one of the Cheltenham Festival yesterday. A dazzling display of raw power from Sprinter Sacre and a staying performance from tough as teak Rock On Ruby were just two of the highs

  • Bassaleg biker’s funeral date set

    THE funeral of a Newport biker who died following a crash will take place next week. Nicholas Chetnik, 53, of Bassaleg, died of his injuries at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, on March 5 after an incident on Caerphilly Road, Bassaleg, at around 10.30pm