Hello, and welcome to Wales Online's live blog for Friday, November 167 We will be bringing you all of the latest news from across Wales - whether you're on the move, at home or at work - as well as the latest traffic and travel.
We will also be keeping you informed of major news stories from the UK and overseas. Contribute to the live blog by posting your comments below, or tweet us @WalesOnline to share the news that's breaking in your area.
Referee saves player's life as Welsh rugby match abandoned in medical emergency
A Welsh rugby referee saved the life of a player who suffered a seizure on the field of play.
Gareth Butler was refereeing Swansea Uplands against Llantrisant RFC when a player got knocked out cold in a tackle and began suffering a seizure. The experienced referee immediately rushed over to the player and proceeded to clear his airways in a bid to save his life, while the match was inevitably abandoned.
"The player took a bang to the head whilst entering a tackle," said Mr Butler. "An arriving player's knee accidentally connected with his head.
"The player immediately fell unconscious. His airway was completely compromised due to swallowing his tongue and he was having difficulty breathing so it was highly likely he would have gone into cardiac arrest.
"I had to physically get my hand in while he was having a seizure and his jaws were locked. I had to force his mouth open in order to get my hand in to secure his airway otherwise he would have arrested.
"He locked onto my hands for eight and a half minutes with his teeth. This caused me a lot of discomfort which made my hands cut and bleed. It was all in the act of saving this guy's life and was worth it.
Full story here
Bill and Hillary Clinton rocked up at one of Swansea's most popular restaurants and stayed in a gorgeous wedding venue
Former President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stopped by one of Swansea's most popular restaurants on Friday for a spot of afternoon tea. The political power couple had attended an event at Swansea University the previous day, where they sat with First Minister Mark Drakeford and answered a series of questions from the university's Vice Chancellor and some local sixth form students on the subjects of global affairs and leadership.
Mrs Clinton first visited Swansea University in 2017 to attend a graduation ceremony where she was presented with an honorary doctorate in recognition of her "political career, commitment to human rights, and of her ancestral connections with Swansea". She has since returned to the University several times to meet students in the Hillary Rodham Clinton global challenges scholarship programme and at the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, which was named in her honour in 2019 - this visit, however, is thought to be the first time her husband, former president Bill Clinton, has joined her.
But, whilst some may have expected the Clintons to have jetted-off back to the US after their university talk, the pair extended their visit to Wales and stayed overnight at one of the region's top wedding venues, Fairyhill, before visiting one of Swansea and Mumbles' most popular restaurants, The Lighthouse bar and kitchen on Friday afternoon.
Full story here
Big Brother 2023 winner to be crowned tonight
We're just minutes away from the final episode of Big Brother 2023 and the winner will be crowned later tonight!
One of the finalists, Henry, Jordan, Noky, Olivia and Yinrun, will go away with the title and a massive £100,000 cash prize. Latest updates from the final here.
Tonight's winning Thunderball numbers
The Thunderball has just been drawn and tonight's winning numbers are: Tonight's winning Thunderball numbers: 5, 10, 17, 30 and 36. The Thunderball is: 2
We'll have the Euromillions winning numbers here very shortly.
Thieves try to break into ambulance as paramedics treat patient nearby
Police are trying to track down would-be thieves who tried to break into an emergency ambulance as paramedics treated an "extremely unwell" patient nearby. More than £1,000 of damage was caused to the vehicle that had been parked in Rhiw Melin, Cwmbran.
The Welsh Ambulance Service crew were at a medical emergency on Wednesday, November 15, when someone tried to break into the vehicle which was parked outside between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
More here
Assault where man left ex partner unrecognisable 'worst police had encountered'
Police have said a domestic assault which saw a man stamp on his ex partner's face was "one of the worst they had ever encountered". The victim was left "unrecognisable" and lying unconscious in the street covered in blood.
Jonathan Woods, 40, attacked Danielle Hughes outside her mother's home in Penrhys in the Rhondda Valley on July 7 last year. Ms Hughes is still affected by the physical and mental trauma caused by the accident, in a statement to a hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court at which Woods was sentenced for the attack on her, she said: "When I look in the mirror and see the damage Jonathan has caused to me, I think I am never going to look how I looked before this incident. I had suicidal thoughts and couldn't cope with how long it was going to take to recover."
A trial previously heard Woods Ms Hughes had previously been in a relationship for 14 years and had two children. Following the breakdown of their relationship there had been issues in regards to living arrangements which resulted in the complainant visiting Woods at his workplace at Laser Travel.
Full story here
Man jailed after writing off car then trying to get out of breath test 'because of asthma'
A man has been jailed after crashing his car into a traffic island and trying to run away. When police caught up with James O'Driscoll they were unimpressed by his attempt to avoid a breath test on the basis of having asthma.
The 65-year-old from Cardiff has been imprisoned for ten weeks following an incident in which he drove along the A48 Western Avenue at 12.50am on April 22 and ploughed his Nissan Qashqai into the traffic island near Cardiff Metropolitan University. The car was a write-off, Cardiff Magistrates' Court heard.
In the first court hearing, prosecutor Robert Reid said O'Driscoll "made off" before officers found him nearby with the keys to the car. O'Driscoll claimed a tyre had burst but Mr Reid told the court there was no evidence this had happened before the crash. When police asked O'Driscoll for a breath sample he said he could not give one because he had asthma. The officers then tried to take some blood and the defendant again refused. A healthcare professional was called but O'Driscoll continued to be obstructive, Mr Reid added.
More here
Teen driver denies causing death of passengers in Gower petrol station crash
A teenager has pleaded not guilty to killing two of his passengers and seriously injuring a third in a late night crash. Ben Rogers and Kaitlyn Davies, both 19, died when the car they were travelling in crashed at a petrol station on Gower in May last year. Fellow passenger Casey Thomas was badly injured.
Owain Hammett-George, pleaded not guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and to two alternative charges of causing death by careless driving when he appeared in the dock of Swansea Crown Court. The 19-year-old, of Awel Deg, Birchgrove, Swansea, also denied a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. A provisional trial date was set for July 1 next year, and the defendant was released on bail.
Following the fatal crash the families paid tribute to their loved ones. The family of Kaitlyn, who was from the Blaenymaes area of Swansea, said she was a "bright, bubbly, kind, caring girl" whose smile and lit up every room she entered. The family of Bonymaen teenager Ben described him as an "amazing, clever, chatty and witty young man" who had time for everyone.
A huge housing estate will be built next to the Cosmeston Lakes beauty spot
he Welsh Government's Climate Change Minister has approved sale of a Vale of Glamorgan beauty spot to developers to build more than 500 homes. Julie James has approved the controversial sale of the Upper Comeston Farm site for housing.
She said she is inviting building proposals which the Welsh Government is "required to meet new and demanding net zero carbon living standards". The development will see a school and more than 500 new homes being built, with a requirement for 50% to be affordable to support the Welsh Government’s commitment to deliver 20,000 affordable homes by 2026.
Development of the land, owned by the Welsh Government, was established in the Vale of Glamorgan Council's Local Development Plan. The scheme will also see a new primary school, public open spaces, an active travel route and what are described as community facilities built.
More here
Friday afternoon congestion points
There are some congestion points to report this afternoon:
- M4 travelling westbound from junction 23A Magor to junction 26 Malpas.
- A4232 travelling northbound from St Fagans to M4 junction 33 Capel Llanilltern.
Met Office rain alert for parts of Wales
A Met Office weather warning for heavy rain is set to be in place for large parts of south and west Wales with up to 50mm of rain expected in some areas.
The yellow alert was updated to start at midnight tonight to 10am tomorrow. See the maps here.
Former hostel and bar plagued by anti-social behaviour sold
A former hostel and bar in Cardiff which was plagued by anti-social behaviour issues following its closure has been sold. NosDa hostel and bar in Despenser Street closed down after successive lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since been taken advantage of by fly-tippers and drug-users.
You can see more details here.
MP's office vandalised by pro Palestine protesters
Pro Palestinian protesters have vandalised the constancy office of a Cardiff MP because they disagree on the best way of achieving an end to violence in Israel.
Jo Stevens' office on Albany Road was covered in graffiti and stickers which labeled her a "murderer" and said "you support killing babies". Vandalism which also included red paint and banners saying she had "blood on her hands" was committed following a "vigil".
Experts name Wales' prettiest towns
Experts have named what they say are the UK’s prettiest and ugliest towns and places in Wales are on both lists.
With 1,250 towns in the UK the Telegraph asked experts to give their verdict on the most and least beautiful and said there was "stiff competition" in the ugly category in Wales. Do you agree? More details here.
Van driver murder trial continues
The trial of a man accused of murdering a delivery driver by hitting him with his own van continues. The alleged victim, who was dragged for more than 700 metres by the van, later died in hospital as a result of his injuries.
Christopher Elgifari denies the murder of Mark Lang during an incident inCardiff on March 28. Live updates here.
Vernon Kay raises more than £4m for Children in Need
There were emotional scenes as Vernon Kay arrived in his hometown of Bolton and had a Carr's pasty after finishing his gruelling 116-mile ultra marathon for Children in Need.
The Radio 2 presenter, who left Leicester on Tuesday, was met by his mum Gladys, dad Norman and hundreds of well-wishers as he arrived in his hometown this morning. Look how much he raised!
Work to start on restoring Cardiff Market
A major restoration of Cardiff's historic Central Market is now fully funded, with work expected to begin in summer 2024.
The date was given after Cardiff Council successfully secured the final £3.1 million from the Welsh Government's Transforming Towns programme to make up the full £6.5m needed for the project . More details here.
Wales looks at replacing council tax with a 'land tax'
The Welsh Government has launched a consultation on reforming council tax and but has revealed that in the long term it may scrap the tax altogether in favour of a land tax.
A land value tax is a basic levy irrespective of what the land is used for. Instead, its value depends mainly on its location and its permitted uses. Read more here.
George North considers leaving
Wales centre George North has been linked with a move to French second division outfit Provence Rugby. The ambitious Pro D2 side boast one of the biggest budgets in the league and are clearly keen to force their way into the Top 14.
They've already signed Wales tight-head Tomas Francis and according to reports in France, North is also on their radar when his deal with the Ospreys expires next year. Read the morning rugby headlines here.
Prescriptions to become digital in Wales
Prescriptions in Wales will become digital for the first time. Patients in Rhyl are the first in Wales to experience electronic prescriptions before the scheme is rolled out across the country in the new year.
It means that GPs will no longer have to print, sign, and hand a green piece of paper to a patient to take to a pharmacy. Instead doctors will be able to electronically send a prescription to the patient's community pharmacy of choice. More details here.
Retail sales fall in October
Retail sales fell last month as shops said wet weather and the cost of living weighed on their business, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes were 0.3% down in October against the previous month.
In September sales had been 1.1% down, revised figures showed. It helped pushed retail sales to their lowest levels since February 2021. Analysts had on average expected the figure to increase by 0.4% in October.
Met Office weather for Friday
Dry and bright to start with rain arriving by evening. Here is the full forecast for Wales today:
A bright and largely dry day for many with perhaps the odd shower, mainly during the morning. Sunshine becoming increasingly hazy into the afternoon with cloud thickening from the southwest, though staying dry for most until the evening. Maximum temperature 9 °C.
Becoming increasingly unsettled with rain pushing through this evening and overnight. Rain turning heavy at times especially over the hills with winds strengthening. A milder night. Minimum temperature 7 °C.
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