Category Archives: Wales

Wales to drop mask-wearing law in shops and on public transport from Monday

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Masks will remain mandatory in health and care settings as cases rise across country

People in Wales will no longer be legally required to wear masks in shops and on public transport from Monday and the legal obligation to stay at home after a positive Covid test is to be scrapped.

Mask wearing will still be mandatory in health and care settings, however, and businesses will have to continue to carry out coronavirus risk assessments and put “reasonable” mitigation measures in place.

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Wales introduces ban on smacking and slapping children

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Welsh government hails ‘historic moment’ for children’s rights amid calls for England to follow suit

Smacking and slapping children has been outlawed in Wales, with people told to contact social services or police if they see a parent or carer meting out physical punishment.

The law change, which came into force first thing on Monday, was hailed as “historic” by the Labour-led Welsh government and a number of child protection champions, who called for England to follow suit.

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UK city of culture 2025: Southampton and Bradford among those on shortlist

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Contenders hope to use the status as a springboard for social and economic recovery

Bradford, County Durham, Southampton and Wrexham county borough have been shortlisted to become the UK next city of culture, it has been announced.

The finalists were whittled down from a record 20 bids to eight longlisted regions, which also included Cornwall, Derby, Stirling, and the district of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon.

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Outdoor weddings legalised permanently in England and Wales

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Temporary measures introduced during Covid crisis will be made made permanent from April

Outdoor weddings and civil partnerships are to be legalised permanently in England and Wales, ministers have announced.

Since last summer, couples have been able to hold their civil wedding or ceremony outside under temporary measures introduced during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Severn Trent and Anglian Water pledge to do more to protect rivers

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Water firms commit to improving sewage discharge practices after government pressure

Severn Trent and Anglian Water say they will accelerate efforts to protect rivers after the government and regulators called on the sector to do more.

Last month, the environment minister Rebecca Pow called on water companies to significantly improve their practices in England and Wales to support the local environment.

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Scotland and Wales want to act as Ukrainian refugee ‘super sponsors’

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Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford tell UK government they want to ‘maximise’ their contributions

Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford have said Scotland and Wales are willing to become “super sponsors” for Ukrainian refugees.

The UK government is to launch a scheme where individuals and organisations can sponsor refugees to come into the country, but the Scottish and Welsh first ministers told Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, they wanted to “maximise” their contribution and act as “super sponsors”.

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Roughly the size of Wales: four reflections on Welsh identity in the 21st century

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From addressing the grievances of history to making ancient music modern, four writers consider what it means to be Welsh today

History helps people feel they belong. This is why people can feel angry when history is reinterpreted or retold in ways that make them feel uncomfortable. And yet that is not always a bad thing, since so many comforting views of the past are deeply flawed. History should not just exist to serve the present, but to challenge it, too.

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Storm Eunice: London added to red weather warning amid ‘danger to life’

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Major bridges closing and millions told to batten down and not go outside as authorities warn of ‘significant disruption’

The east of England including London has been added to the red weather warning for wind issued by the Met Office because of Storm Eunice, which has prompted rare danger-to-life warnings, with millions of people told to stay indoors at home to avoid 90mph winds.

The rare highest alert – meaning a major impact is very likely – was widened just before 4am, to run from 10am until 3pm on Friday, due to fears of the storm “causing significant disruption and dangerous conditions due to extremely strong winds”, the Met Office said.

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Port Talbot says bye-bye to its Banksy as art dealer brings in a crane

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Much loved work that appeared in 2018 on a steelworker’s garage heads to England on the back of a lorry

It appeared one winter’s night on a steelworker’s garage, a wondrous piece of street art making points about the innocence of childhood, industrial decay and air pollution.

After a three-year sojourn in the town of Port Talbot, Season’s Greetings, Wales’ first and only Banksy, was craned on to the back of a flatbed lorry and trucked out of the country.

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Calls for protection of LGBTQ+ people after spate of hate crimes in Cardiff

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Homophobic murder of a consultant psychiatrist in July 2021 was among several crimes recorded at that time

Campaigners in Cardiff are calling for the police and other authorities to do more to protect LGBTQ+ people after it emerged the sadistic homophobic murder of a consultant psychiatrist was only one of a spate of hate crimes recorded at the time.

A vigil is to be held near Bute Park in the city on Sunday after a 17-year-old girl and two men were found guilty of murdering Dr Gary Jenkins by beating him and stamping on his head for 15 minutes in the early hours of a morning in July last year.

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‘Incredible’: from Wordle’s Welsh beginnings to the New York Times

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The puzzle’s global success has turned Josh Wardle into a megastar in the gaming world and bemused his family

He is the toast of New York, of London – and of a small village called Llanddewi Rhydderch.

Just four months after Josh Wardle invented the wonderfully simple and soothing puzzle Wordle, he is a megastar in the world of games and is a great deal wealthier after the New York Times acquired his creation for a seven-figure sum.

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Wordle creator overwhelmed by global success of hit puzzle

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Josh Wardle developed game to play with his partner – and now more than 2m others have joined in

Wordle, a deceptively simple online word puzzle, has had a meteoric rise since its launch last autumn, from 90 daily players in November to 300,000 at the beginning of January, to 2 million last weekend. But, for its creator, the game’s rapid success has resulted in as much anxiety as excitement.

The game has become an unexpected grassroots hit for Josh Wardle, who developed it for his puzzle-loving partner. The pair played it for fun on their sofa, and other users slowly began to join them.

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England ‘global outlier’ in terms of Covid policy, says Welsh first minister – video

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Mark Drakeford said the Welsh government was capable and determined to act to protect its population from coronavirus.

He said that in England the government was 'politically paralysed' and that Boris Johnson was unable to secure an agreement among his MPs to take actions that would keep the population safe


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Prof Chris Whitty sparks confusion over England’s Covid self-isolation rules

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Chief medical officer says people should isolate until testing negative, contradicting official guidance

Prof Chris Whitty has sparked confusion by saying people should stay in self-isolation “until their test goes negative”, despite official guidance allowing a day 10 exit even with a positive lateral flow test.

Last month the rules on self-isolation in England changed to reduce the self-isolation period from 10 to seven days for people who have tested positive for Covid, provided they have a negative lateral flow test on both day six and seven and they do not have a high temperature. Wales and Northern Ireland have followed suit, with Scotland facing pressure to do the same.

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UK weather: cold snap to bring end to unseasonal warm weather

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Parts of Britain could experience a temperature drop of 10C as Met Office issues yellow alert for parts of Scotland

The unusually warm spell of weather, which included record temperatures over the new year, will come to an abrupt end overnight, plunging by up to 10C (a drop of 18F) across parts of the UK.

The forecast follows the hottest new year’s weekend on record when 16.5C (61.7F) was reached at Bala, Gwynedd, on 31 December 2021 – a New Year’s Eve record for the UK and Wales, when it is usually about 7C.

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What impact will Omicron have on UK children and schools?

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As the term begins and masks return to England’s classrooms, schools rely on vaccines, testing and hygiene

As a new term is set to start for schools across the UK and the government announces masks will return for secondary pupils in England’s classrooms, we take a look at the potential impact of Omicron on children.

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What are Covid rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

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Announcement that there will be no new restrictions in England before new year puts it at odds with rest of UK

Ministers have confirmed that no new Covid-19 restrictions will be imposed in England before the new year.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, told reporters there will be “no further measures before the new year”, adding: “Of course people should remain cautious as we approach new year celebrations and take a lateral flow test if that makes sense, celebrate outdoors if you can, have some ventilation indoors if you can.”

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Northern Ireland and Wales to bring in tough Omicron restrictions

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Devolved nations to reintroduce rule of six for hospitality venues and other measures from Boxing Day

Wales and Northern Ireland have announced stringent restrictions that will come into force from Boxing Day, including the return of the rule of six for hospitality venues, in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.

The first minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, accused Boris Johnson of being in a “state of paralysis,” over Omicron as he set out a package of strict measures he said would put his country at “alert level two”.

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Woman admits abusing pet marmoset she offered cocaine and flushed toilet on

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Vicki Holland, from Newport, south Wales, pleads guilty to animal cruelty charges after videos found on phone

  • Warning: this article includes graphic images some readers may find disturbing

A woman has pleaded guilty to abusing her pet marmoset, including offering cocaine to the primate and attempting to flush it down the toilet.

A court heard how Vicki Holland was aggressive towards the primate, which is native to tropical forests in Central and South America. The monkey’s treatment was shown to the RSPCA after videos were discovered on Holland’s phone by Gwent police after a drug raid at her home.

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