As Wales transitions to a post-Covid, post-Brexit economy, place-based innovation clusters of expertise hold the key to creating well-paid high-value jobs that bring wider prosperity to the Cardiff Capital Region.
Highlighting Wales’ contribution to Net Zero Week, an online webinar will bring experts together to examine the wider economic power of CSconnected – the world’s first Compound Semiconductor (CS) cluster based in South Wales.
Compound Semiconductors are tiny next-generation electronic chips that are smarter, faster and more powerful than their silicon cousins, capable of supporting emerging technologies that require ultra-high performance.
CS technologies are used in a range of applications that can help reduce global carbon emissions, from more effective navigation systems to more efficient electric vehicles.
Based on a successful Cardiff-led consortium bid for £43m from the UKRI’s Strength in Places Fund, CSconnected is the collective brand for advanced semiconductor activities in Wales.
Chaired by former First Minister Carwyn Jones, the session in July will discuss recent findings from Cardiff University’s Welsh Economy Research Unit which highlighted the impact of the cluster and how it can contribute to Net Zero.
The Annual Report: Compound Semiconductor Cluster in South Wales showed that the CS cluster in total supports 2,390 jobs and contributes £277m in Gross Value Added (GVA) to the Welsh economy.
Cluster employment grew by 14% to 2021 Q4 (14%), with over 80% of employees resident in Wales. And the cluster generated over £71m in wages and salaries, with average pay levels around 60% above the Welsh average.
The report, published in January, noted CSconnected’s resilience to the economic shocks of Brexit and Covid-19 pandemic, in part driven by a global uptick in demand for goods driven by next-generation CS chips.
During the online webinar on 7 July, Carwyn Jones will be joined by Peter Davies, CS lead for Cardiff Capital Region and Deputy Chief Executive, Monmouthshire County Council; Max Munday, Director of the Welsh Economy Research Unit, and Chris Meadows, Director of CSconnected, which signed up to the COP Cymru 10-year Net Zero pledge.
The one-hour session, will also focus on the question of how Wales can build an economy based on the principles of fair work, sustainability and the industries and services of the future – and what lessons can be learned from existing success stories both within the cluster and across the Cardiff Capital Region.
South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber says the Springboks are expecting a “hard grind” Test series opener against Wales on Saturday.
Wales have arrived in South Africa on the back of a poor GuinnessSix Nations campaign that ended with them losing at home to Italy.
Two of their three appointments with the Springboks are at altitude, starting in Pretoria.
And Wales have lost all 10 previous games they have played against the reigning world champions on South African soil.
But Nienaber said: “Wales have been training together for a few weeks now and we have no doubt that they will give everything against us on Saturday.
“They are an experienced squad and they have top-class players in their ranks, with some of them having represented the British and Irish Lions last year, so we are expecting a hard grind of a Test.
“They have physical forwards and backs that spark something from nothing, so we need to deliver a quality performance in order to get our season off to a strong start.”
Leicester number eight Jasper Wiese will start for South Africa at Loftus Versfeld.
The Tigers forward, who scored a try when Leicester beat Gallagher Premiership final opponents Saracens on June 18, features in a powerful Springboks side skippered by Siya Kolisi.
Kolisi is among nine players that started South Africa’s 23-18 victory over Wales in Cardiff last November.
The former Sale pair of scrum-half Faf de Klerk and lock Lood de Jager also start, while Nienaber has opted for six forwards and just two backs among his replacements.
“We have a talented group of players, and we believe the match-day squad we selected ticks the boxes in terms of what we would like to achieve in the opening Test against Wales,” Nienaber added.
“We have a plan for the season in terms of giving some of the young players a chance to show what they can do at international level, while at the same time taking stock of the seasoned campaigners and where they are in terms of their rugby.
“Unfortunately, with such a big squad there will always be a few unlucky players, but it is a fine balancing act to ensure we win Tests, build squad depth and transform as a team in the way we play.”
Here are your rugby morning headlines for Tuesday, 28 June.
Springboks not underestimating Wales
South Africa assistant coach Deon Davids says that the Springboks are under no illusions over the challenge Wales will pose in the upcoming Test series.
Wayne Pivac’s men face the world champions in Pretoria this Saturday in the first Test of their summer tour, with Tests in Bloemfontein and Cape Town to follow. Given how Wales finished a lowly fifth in the Six Nations, the general consensus appears to be that the Springboks will comfortably secure a 3-0 whitewash.
However, Davids insists they will not be underestimating Wales in the coming weeks. “Listen, everyone is focusing on the Italy loss,” he said.
“A couple of years ago, we also lost against Italy. What we need to understand is if you look at the other Six Nations games, Wales were actually in those games right until the end.
“They are a competitive side, they play with a lot of passion and a lot of pride. They’re in a situation where they want to turn things around, they’ve got experienced campaigners, British and Irish Lions.
“We are under no illusions that it’s going to be a tough series and that is how we’re approaching it.”
Northampton confirm Burrell wasn’t racially abused at club
Northampton Saints have confirmed the racist abuse Luther Burrell revealed he experienced at the hands of past team-mates did not take place during his time at the club.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday last weekend, Burrell said racism was “rife” in English rugby. The 32-year-old centre recalled players joking about slavery and remembered being called a “n—–“.
And Northampton, where Burrell spent seven years between 2012 and 2019, have released a statement on behalf of their chief executive, Mark Darbon.
“Everyone at Northampton Saints was saddened and appalled to read Luther Burrell’s comments published yesterday, detailing the racist abuse he has experienced during his playing career,” said Darbon.
“The Club condemns all forms of discrimination, and yesterday reached out to Luther to offer our support and applaud his bravery in speaking out.
“We were reassured during our conversation that Luther did not experience any racial abuse during his time at Northampton Saints. The Club will continue its ongoing work to make sure that Franklin’s Gardens remains an inclusive environment for all Northampton players, staff and supporters.
“We have invited Luther to return to Franklin’s Gardens in the coming months to contribute towards the Diversity and Inclusion projects already being delivered by the Club’s community and commercial staff.
“Saints will welcome and support any wider action taken by the RFU and Premiership Rugby to improve education and awareness across Rugby Union, so that we can eradicate discrimination from our game.”
All Blacks hit by another Covid setback
The All Blacks have been engulfed by Covid chaos ahead of their Test series against Ireland.
Overnight, Will Jordan became the sixth member of the group to test positive. Earlier this week, head coach Ian Foster, assistants John Plumtree and Scott McLeod and centres David Havili and Jack Goodhue all tested positive. All will be forced to isolate at home this week while the All Blacks prepare for the July series opener against Ireland at a sold-out Eden Park on Saturday night.
Lock Sam Whitelock insists the players will take the lead despite the setback.
“If anything for a player, it’s quite nice for it to happen early,” said Whitelock, who is also overcoming a thumb fracture ahead of the first Test. “It makes us take the lead, which we normally want to do anyway. If anything, it means we’ve got to do it a day earlier than we normally would.
“The leadership have been together for a couple of campaigns now and we know each other pretty well. So it’s not doing too much differently … it’s maybe everyone taking a step up in the right areas. We all lead in different ways, so we’ve got to carry on doing that but make sure we’re right across the whole board because we don’t have our normal coaches there.
“It’s a really cool challenge and something I’m actually looking forward to. It’s different, but how awesome we get to have a week in here that’s so different.”
Sevens guru Ryan switches to football
Brentford have appointed rugby sevens guru Ben Ryan as their new Director of Elite Performance.
Ryan coached Fiji to Olympic gold when rugby sevens made its debut at Rio 2016, delivering the country’s first ever medal at the Games. Before that, he worked as England head coach for six years and did some consultancy work with the WRU after leaving his Fiji post.
The 50-year-old’s arrival in the newly created role is part of a restructure of the Premier League side’s hierarchy after the departure of co-Director of Football Rasmus Ankersen last year.
Ankersen had shared that position Director of Football Phil Giles, who will now take on the role alone. Speaking about Ryan’s appointment, Giles said: “When Rasmus left us in December 2021, I spent some time thinking about the future direction of the department and what skills and experiences I felt we needed moving forward.
“Director of Elite Performance is a role I think will help us reach even higher levels of performance across both players and staff. After a thorough recruitment process, Ben emerged as the outstanding candidate.
“He brings huge experience of how to reach elite level across a range of sports and has a coaching background which will help him work effectively with Thomas [Frank]. He is also a Brentford fan, so already understands the Club, knows what we’ve achieved already, and what we want to achieve together in future.”
The National Categorisation system – the process by which schools are ranked either Green, Yellow, Amber or Red to determine how much support they require – will be scrapped, and instead replaced with a new self-evaluation system.
The Welsh Government has said this new system will allow good practice to be shared, and failures to be dealt with swiftly.
Parents will also be able to access more up-to-date and detailed information, while each school’s specific improvement priorities and development plan will be made publicly available.
The number of times each school is inspected by Estyn will also increase from September 2024.
The Welsh Government has said the new framework is intended to ensure that the wellbeing and development of pupils is distinctly separated from school assessment.
Education and Welsh language minister Jeremy Miles “By putting learner progression at the heart of our reforms, we will be supporting every learner to reach their full potential.
“Assessment and accountability are both critical to raising standards – but they each have a very different role to play – assessment is about understanding an individual pupil’s needs and accountability is about how the school’s overall performance is evaluated. But, the difference between the two has become blurred, which can have a detrimental effect on teaching and learning.”
He continued: “By bringing national categorisation to an end we are doing two things. First, replacing it with a framework which sets out clear expectations so that every pupil is supported properly.
“And second, providing better, and more up to date information on each school’s improvement plans, so that the focus is on learner progression rather than on headline descriptions.
“I’m confident that this framework will encourage more collaboration between schools, which will deliver high standards and aspirations for all our learners and support their wellbeing.”
Owen Evans, chief inspector at Estyn, welcomed the new guidance.
“The move away from schools being evaluated with a disproportionate emphasis on a small number of performance measures is reflected in our new approach to inspection for schools and pupil referral units,” he said.
He added Estyn would “continue to work rigorously to ensure all learners get the education and training they deserve – monitoring schools through follow up if standards aren’t high enough”.
“We have made a number of changes to our inspection approach in schools and pupil referral units, including the presentation of inspection reports which will see the removal of summative gradings and the addition of a key overview of findings focussed on a school’s strengths and areas for development.
“We are confident that this approach will offer meaningful insights which will help providers to improve without shining the spotlight on a judgement.”
Dr Glasspool said: “For fires to propagate, you really need three things: A source of fuel, which, surprisingly, we seem to have in sufficient amounts in the Silurian; you need a source of ignition, which is lightning strikes as the most likely source; and then you need at least 16% atmospheric oxygen.
The National Categorisation system – the process by which schools are ranked either Green, Yellow, Amber or Red to determine how much support they require – will be scrapped, and instead replaced with a new self-evaluation system.
The Welsh Government has said this new system will allow good practice to be shared, and failures to be dealt with swiftly.
Parents will also be able to access more up-to-date and detailed information, while each school’s specific improvement priorities and development plan will be made publicly available.
The number of times each school is inspected by Estyn will also increase from September 2024.
The Welsh Government has said the new framework is intended to ensure that the wellbeing and development of pupils is distinctly separated from school assessment.
Education and Welsh language minister Jeremy Miles “By putting learner progression at the heart of our reforms, we will be supporting every learner to reach their full potential.
“Assessment and accountability are both critical to raising standards – but they each have a very different role to play – assessment is about understanding an individual pupil’s needs and accountability is about how the school’s overall performance is evaluated. But, the difference between the two has become blurred, which can have a detrimental effect on teaching and learning.”
He continued: “By bringing national categorisation to an end we are doing two things. First, replacing it with a framework which sets out clear expectations so that every pupil is supported properly.
“And second, providing better, and more up to date information on each school’s improvement plans, so that the focus is on learner progression rather than on headline descriptions.
“I’m confident that this framework will encourage more collaboration between schools, which will deliver high standards and aspirations for all our learners and support their wellbeing.”
Owen Evans, chief inspector at Estyn, welcomed the new guidance.
“The move away from schools being evaluated with a disproportionate emphasis on a small number of performance measures is reflected in our new approach to inspection for schools and pupil referral units,” he said.
He added Estyn would “continue to work rigorously to ensure all learners get the education and training they deserve – monitoring schools through follow up if standards aren’t high enough”.
“We have made a number of changes to our inspection approach in schools and pupil referral units, including the presentation of inspection reports which will see the removal of summative gradings and the addition of a key overview of findings focussed on a school’s strengths and areas for development.
“We are confident that this approach will offer meaningful insights which will help providers to improve without shining the spotlight on a judgement.”
A 36-year-old woman has died after she suffered serious head injuries in “a horrific assault” in Ilford, east London, Scotland Yard said.
Police, who have launched a murder investigation, said the victim was walking along Cranbrook Road in the direction of Gants Hill Station when she was attacked.
The woman, who has not yet been formally identified, died in hospital on Sunday morning after being found injured in the early hours.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the scene by the London Ambulance Service at 2.44am.
A crime scene remains in place.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, who leads the Met’s East Area basic command unit (BCU), said: “Our investigation remains in the critical early stages and is now being led by homicide detectives from Specialist Crime.
“The woman had been subjected to a horrific assault and sadly passed away as a result of her injuries.
“Urgent inquiries have been under way since the very early hours of Sunday morning to identify the woman. At this time formal identification is yet to take place but the woman’s family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.
“Teams of dedicated officers are working at pace to establish what happened and identify the person responsible. This includes full forensic examination of the scene and the surrounding area, house to house inquiries and a focus on identifying all available CCTV.
“No arrests have been made at this time.
“Local people will see a significant police presence in the area today and in the coming days.
“I understand that for women, particularly locally, this is an incredibly distressing incident, and I urge you to be alert but not alarmed.”
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Rogers, of the Met’s Specialist Crime North Command, is leading the investigation and said: “It is vital that my officers speak with every possible witness and everyone with information that may assist the investigation.
“We are appealing for anyone who was in the Cranbrook Road area of Ilford between 2am and 3am on Sunday morning to get in touch, including anyone who drove through the area and may have dashcam footage.
“We also want to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the wider Ilford area overnight.”
Anyone with information or footage, or any witnesses, are asked to call the major incident room on 0208 345 3715.
Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. They will never ask your name and cannot trace your call, your IP address or the device you use.
A five-month-old girl has been shot dead while in the back of a car in a neighbourhood in Chicago.
The infant, who was identified as Cecilia Thomas, was struck in the head on Friday evening when shots were fired from another vehicle in the South Shore neighbourhood in the city’s South Side, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Cecilia was taken to hospital where she later died.
A 41-year-old man in another vehicle was in a good condition in hospital after suffering a gunshot wound near his eye, Chicago police said.
Police at the scene where a five-month-old girl was shot and killed in the South Shore neighbourhood of Chicago (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
No arrests have been made.
The baby is among the youngest victims of gun violence in Chicago.
She would have turned six months old in four days, according to Natalia Derevyanny, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
As of Thursday, the Chicago Police Department had recorded 282 homicides so far this year, down from the 316 recorded during the same period in 2021.
Like many other cities in the US, Chicago reported a dramatic increase in homicides last year.
The 797 homicides in the nation’s third-largest city in 2021 – Chicago’s highest toll for any year in a quarter of a century – eclipsed Los Angeles’ tally by 400 and the total in New York by nearly 300.
Police at the scene in the 7100 block of South Crandon Avenue in the South Shore neighbourhood of Chicago (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
Crisis responder Andrew Holmes, who spoke with Cecilia’s mother, expressed anger at the gunman, saying “you shouldn’t sleep at night” and urged the person to turn themselves in.
“You just took this baby’s life. This baby was an infant, this baby didn’t do nothing to you,” he said.
Activist Ja’Mal Green offered a 5,000 dollar (£4,000) reward for information following the shooting.
Wales will tour South Africa this summer for the first time in eight years as the Dragons aim to put a disappointing past year behind them.
Shortly after their 2021 Six Nations triumph, three wins from seven internationals, against Canada, Fiji and Australia, set the tone for Wayne Pivac’s side to struggle in 2022.
A tight win over Scotland was the only ripple of Six Nations excitement as they lost the other four games, including a shock 22-21 defeat to Italy in Cardiff.
With a World Cup on the horizon in 2023, Pivac needs to revive his players in the next 12 months if they want to make any impact in France.
— Welsh Rugby Union 🏉 (@WelshRugbyUnion) June 22, 2022
Wales have faced the Springboks 37 times in total, losing 30 of those matches against the reigning world champions. They have lost all 10 Tests in South Africa.
What are the key dates for Wales?
Wales are due to travel to South Africa on June 25, ahead of a week-long training camp, before they play three games in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.
Date
Time (BST)
Time (AEST)
Time (ET)
Venue
Sat, July 2
4.05 p.m.
1.05 a.m. (July 3)
11.05 a.m.
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
Sat, July 9
4.05 p.m.
1.05 a.m. (July 10)
11.05 a.m.
Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein
Sat, July 16
4.05 p.m.
1.05 a.m. (July 17)
11.05 a.m
DHL Stadium, Cape Town
What is Wales’ tour record in South Africa?
Wales’ first tour to the Southern Hemisphere in 1964 saw them lose a single Test against South Africa 24-3 in Durban.
They did not play in South Africa again until 1995, suffering a 40-11 defeat at Ellis Park, just three months after being knocked out of the World Cup group stage in the same stadium.
Further tours to the country, in 1998, 2002, 2004, 2008 and 2014 ended miserably for Wales, who have lost all of their 10 Test matches away to the Springboks.
On this day in 1995…
Nelson Mandela presented South Africa captain Francois Pienaar with the World Cup trophy after a 15-12 victory over New Zealand 🏆 pic.twitter.com/yxeI3sNEl1
The 1995 World Cup was Wales’ only other major clash in South Africa, but they lost out to New Zealand and Ireland in the pool stage, as the hosts went on to beat the Kiwis in the final.
What is Wales’ current test ranking?
On the back of a poor season, Wales tumbled down the rankings, having been sixth at this stage in 2021.
A dreadful return in the Six Nations saw them slip down to ninth, and they have stayed there since. South Africa remain top dogs.
Rugby Union world ranking (as of June 25, 2022)
Rank
Team
Points
1
South Africa
90.61
2
France
88.88
3
New Zealand
88.75
4
Ireland
88.22
5
England
84.50
6
Australia
83.92
7
Scotland
81.80
8
Argentina
80.58
9
Wales
79.28
10
Japan
78.26
How to watch Wales’ tour of South Africa
UK
USA
Canada
Australia
TV channel
Sky Sports
—
—
—
Streaming
Sky Sports, Flo Rugby
Flo Rugby
Flo Rugby
Flo Rugby, Stan Sport
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports streaming and TV platforms.
USA/Canada/Australia: Streaming is available on Flo Rugby, which is available through the Flo Sports App and Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast & Apple TV.
Viewers can also subscribe to Stan Sport, which offers a free seven-day trial.
TRIBUTES are being paid to a boy who tragically died earlier this week.
The Welsh and Indian flags are flying at half-mast in Windsor Gardens, Radyr, to pay tribute to Aryan Ghoniya.
Aryan’s family paying tribute at Windsor Gardens
On Tuesday, June 21, South Wales Police received a report of children in the River Taff near Forest Farm Road, Whitchurch, Cardiff, and one boy was missing.
An extensive search was carried out by police, fire, ambulance, coastguard, and the police helicopter.
Aryan was found in the river, and – despite the efforts of the emergency services – he was unable to be resuscitated.
HM Coroner was informed and an investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.
Aryan Ghaniya was “loved by all know knew him”
His family have paid tribute in a statement, reading:
“The family is devastated by the tragic loss of Aryan Ghoniya, beloved son of Jitendra and Hina and caring brother to Naviya.
“We are extremely grateful to all the emergency services for their efforts in the search for Aryan. We are also grateful to the police for their ongoing support.
“We are touched by the support received from the community, Danescourt Primary School and Radyr Comprehensive School, both of which he loved. Our thanks also to the A&E staff at Heath hospital.
“Aryan was our ‘Little Professor’, brilliant at Maths, an all-rounder academically. He was very charming and caring boy with warm personality and was loved by all who knew him.
Aryan Ghoniya
“There will never be a day when we will not miss him, and he will remain in our hearts forever.
“We strongly urge all parents to explain to their children the danger of playing in rivers. We do not wish any parents to go through the tragedy we are going through.
“We also appreciate the setting of Windsor Gardens in Radyr to be a quiet place where his friends can go, leave a message or a tribute and remember the fun and happy times they shared with Aryan
“Thank you to Councillor Helen Lloyd Jones for enabling this. This is an impossibly difficult period for us but the gestures of kindness, the Indian and the Welsh flags flying at half-mast give us some comfort.
“Aryan was born in Wales, he was proud to be Welsh and we are proud to have been a member of his family.
by Staff
