Issue 1163 - Monday 14 December

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rhifyn 1163 issue 1163

14 Rhagfyr 2020 14 December 2020

gair rhydd Cardiff University’s student paper | Established 1972

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from Gair Rhydd!

Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

Plans announced for students' return to university in January Tirion Davies

Editor-in-Chief

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he Welsh Government recently announced the plans put in place for the staggered return of university students in January 2021.

The Welsh Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, has said the Welsh Government has asked that universities across Wales spread out the arrival of students in January over a four-week period, beginning on January 11, and will be asked to take tests for COVID-19 when they return.

Lateral flow COVID-19 tests will be available for students upon their return to university in January, and there is an expectation that students take one test the day they return, before taking a second test 3 days later, after isolating.

If the results both times are negative, students will be able to re-integrate into their cities (given that they follow the COVID-19 regulations in place by the Welsh Government, of course).

Students who do not want to take COVID-19 lateral flow tests will be asked instead to isolate for 14 days, which is the traditional COVID-19 quarantine period. A similar announcement was made by Education Ministers in England last week, to ensure that all students, regardless of their home nation, will be returning to university in the safest way possible.

The Welsh Government said that the aim with this approach might mean that in-person teaching, much like we’ve seen this semester, will be able to continue in universities across Wales in the new year.

Of course, precautions will still be in place, and those who are shielding will not need to attend in-person lectures if they do not feel comfortable doing so, but those who are planning on returning to face-toface teaching will be able to do so safely with these measures. Education Minister Kirsty Williams stated, “I know students will be eager to return to their university campus after

the Christmas break, but will want to do that in a safe way. “Students will also want to return to learning in person, where it’s safe to do so”.

These measures will help ensure the COVID-19 positive case rate does not spike again, like we saw when students originally returned to university in September, and following mass outbreaks in Cardiff University Talybont Halls of Residences.

It was announced last week that Wales is the only nation in the UK currently without a falling R-rate of COVID-19 at the end of November.

According to UK Government statistics, the positive COVID-19 cases in Wales surpassed that of England on 23 November, following the two-week firebreak lockdown held across the nation.

England and Scotland both currently have tier systems in place - Wales, however, does not. On December 1, statistics showed a sevenday case rate of 267.8 per 100,000 people in Wales. The English rate for the same period was 149.5, with Northern Ireland rates held at 143.6, and 100.3 in Scotland.

Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething expressed the new measures in Wales, including the closure of pubs at restaurants at 18:00, and the ban on alcohol, would “take a couple of weeks” to impact the rate of confirmed cases. Gething also said that the COVID-19 situation in Wales was “very serious” and that the NHS is under “considerable and sustained pressure”.

Restrictions are set to be relaxed this Christmas, with three households from across the UK able to bubble up from December 23 until December 27 in England and Wales.

It was announced the relaxed restrictions would be put in place, in fear of an ‘unwillingness’ to follow stricter rules over the festive period.

Following the easing of restrictions over Christmas, and the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in under25s, it’s no surprise that measures are already being put in place ahead of students’ return to university in January.

The first vaccine: Jenner created the smallpox vaccine through observations of dairy maids and their immunity. Source: Wellcome Library, London (via Wikimedia Commons)

Edward Jenner and the development of vaccines Mili Jayadeep

Science Editor

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dward Jenner, known as the father of immunology, has revolutionized the management of deadly diseases and the occurrence of pandemics and epidemics worldwide through his work into the first vaccine.

Now, as the new Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is approved by the

2020 politics: A year in review Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

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he year 2020 has been an interesting one for many reasons, and there have been significant political incidents which will be remembered for decades to come.

In a landmark year, with life-altering events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it's interesting to analyse some of this year's political events.

Gair Rhydd's political editors take a look at the past year in politics, discussing the US Elections, the future of Brexit and more.

To read more about the political events which have occured this year, turn to page 10.

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MHRA and ready for mass immunisation across the UK, we must remember Edward Jenner's work in helping to develop vaccinations.

Due to Jenner's invention of vaccines, it is a widely used technique that protects human populations across the globe against various diseases.

The NHS reports that vaccines are responsible for preventing approximately 3 million global deaths annually. Vaccinations have enabled the eradication or

reduction of otherwise life-threatening diseases such as tetanus, polio, measles and diptheria.

Although the techniques used to create the COVID-19 vaccine are different to those used by Jenner to create the smallpox vaccine, it's important to remember Jenner's work.

Turn to page 13 to read more about Edward Jenner and his work in the development of vaccinations, leading to the Pfizer vaccine. 13

S4C Clic yn dechrau NHS Wales staff prepare for vaccine cyfres advent Annell Dyfri

Golygydd Taf-od

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ros cyfnod y Nadolig eleni, bydd yna llai o raglenni i'w wylio oherwydd cyflwr y busnes ffilm a teledu ers y pandemig COVID-19.

O ganlyniad, mae S4C Clic wedi dechrau cyfres advent dros Rhagfyr, yn rhyddhau rhai o'r rhaglenni o'i archif yn ddyddiol hyd at 24 Rhagfyr.

Dros y cyfnod, bydd tri clasur o ffilm yn cael eu rhyddhau yn ogystal, gan gynnwys Rhosyn a Rhith, a Milwr Bychan. Mae'r ffefrynau fwyaf diweddar hefyd ar gael dros y cyfnod advent.

I ddarllen yn fwy am yr hyn sydd ar gael yng nghyfnod Advent S4C Clic, ewch i dudalen 8.

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Zoe Kramer

Head of News

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ollowing the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, NHS staff across Wales has begun the preparation for mass vaccinations .

With new vaccination and testing sites to be created, and the NHS in Wales under significant pressure with a rapidly increasing positive test rate, staff are planning for the year ahead.

The first vaccinations began last week, with mass vaccination set to begin from the beginning of the new year.

To read about mass vaccination by the NHS, and the plans in place for the new year, turn to page 3. 3

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EDITORIAL

At Gair Rhydd we take seriously our responsibility to maintain the highest possible standards.

We may occasionally make mistakes, however if you believe we have fallen below the standards we seek to uphold, please email editor@gairrhydd.com.

Opinions expressed in editorials and opinion pieces are not reflective of Cardiff Student Media, who act as the publisher of Gair Rhydd in legal terms, and should not be considered official communications or the organisation’s stance.

Gair Rhydd is a Post Office registered newspaper.

THE TEAM Coordinator

Elaine Morgan

Editor-in-Chief Tirion Davies

Deputy Editors

Hallum Cowell Holly Giles Molly Govus

Head of Digital Media Tom Leaman

Head of Design

Lottie Draycott

Video Editors

Sophia Grace Scarlett Griffith Ellis Lloyd-Jones Daniel O’Callaghan

Graphics Editor

Ellie Hutchings

Copy Editors

Megan Newberry Amy Saunders Elle Speer

IN THIS ISSUE

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Enjoying Christmas during a pandemic

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ere we are at the end of the year, after quite the bizarre experience. 2020 was a hard year to get through, with COVID-19 dominating our lives and the news headlines. But, although it’s the end of the year, we have finally earned some good news in the form of a vaccine, one which will start mass vaccination for the majority of us from the beginning of the new year.

This year began with the threat of COVID-19, forest fires across Australia, and the threat of a major conflict between America and Iran.

By March, Britain went into a national lockdown, with the rest of the world finding themselves, similarly, at a standstill.

Between virtual hugs and hours filled with Zoom meetings, we’ve all had to adapt to a new way of living in 2020. Who’d have imagined a year ago that lockdowns, face coverings, and social distancing would be our new normal?

Thankfully, the end of this journey is in sight, with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine ready to be rolled out across Britain. By next summer, although life won’t be quite how it once was, normality will begin reinstating itself slowly but surely.

It doesn’t mean the work is over.

There is a vaccine, yet we must remember we cannot stop social distancing – we must continue to take

the necessary precautions to halt the spread of the virus.

What a whirlwind year this has been! It’s felt like a lifetime and somehow like a blink of an eye. Many of us haven’t been home since we moved back to Cardiff in September, and it simultaneously feels as though September was last week, but also as though this semester began back in July.

This Christmas period will be different than normal, of course. With lockdown and social distancing rules still in place, despite the bubble system here in Wales, many of us will still experience a virtual Christmas Day with our family members. Nothing says Christmas quite like FaceTiming your family during present opening.

We need to be thankful that we have our health and our family members. We need to celebrate the memories of those we’ve lost this year and remember their smiles. We must remember we have homes and presents.

Being grateful during a year that’s done nothing but thrown curveball after curveball will be difficult, but a little Christmas cheer will lift spirits in a way that’s needed now, more than ever.

From all of us at Gair Rhydd, Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

NEWS

Wales to transition to electric vehicles by 2030 (p.3)

Mwynhau’r Nadolig yng nghanol pandemig

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TAF-OD

Gwasanaethua Nadolig Amgen eleni (t.9)

POLITICS

2020: A year in review (p.10)

COMMENT

The need to end period poverty (p.15)

ADVICE

How to stop Christmas disappointment (p.16)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FDA approve treatment for rapid-aging disease progeria (p.18)

@CAERDYDD

Celebrating a COVID-19 affected Christmas (p.22)

SPORT

Formula One: really a team sport? (p.25)

Nadolig yng nghanol pandemig: Bydd y Nadolig yma’n hollol wahanol i’r hen arfer, ond mae’n rhaid i ni fod yn ddiolchgar am ein teuluoedd.

Credyd: Tirion Davies

Check out Gair Rhydd online

Christmas during a pandemic: Of course, this Christmas will be entirely different to previous years, but we need to be grateful for what we have.

Credit: Tirion Davies

yma ni ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn, ar ôl flwyddyn hollol anarferol. Yr oedd 2020 yn flwyddyn anodd ei brofi, gyda COVID-19 yn dominyddu’r newyddion pob dydd. Ond, er bod hi’n ddiwedd y flwyddyn, rydym wedi, o’r ddiwedd, derbyn y newyddion da bod yna brechlyn – un sy’n mynd i ddechrau cael ei rannu i’r mwyafrif ohonom ni o ddechrau’r flwyddyn newydd.

Dechreuodd y flwyddyn hon gyda’r potensial o pandemig, tân yn dechrau ac yn lledaenu ar draws Awstralia, a’r potensial o wrthdaro rhwng yr UDA ac Iran. Erbyn mis Mawrth, yr oedd Prydain wedi mynd i mewn i gyfnod clo, gyda gweddill y byd, yn debyg, yn darganfod ei hun yn safiad stond.

Ymysg cofleidio dros y we ac oriau llawn cyfarfodydd Zoom, rydym ni gyd wedi gorfod addasu i ffordd newydd o fyw yn 2020. Pwy allai ystyried flwyddyn lle bod gwisgo gorchudd wyneb a sefyll dau fetr i ffwrdd yn rhan o fywyd pob dydd?

Diolch byth, mae diwedd y flwyddyn o’n blaenau, gyda’r brechlyn Pfizer/BioNTech yn barod i’w fynd i bobl ar draws Prydain.

Erbyn Haf blwyddyn nesaf, er na fydd bywyd fel yr oedd o’r blaen, bydd bywyd normal yn dechrau ailddangos.

Nid yw hyn yn meddwl bod y gwaith wedi’i orffen. Oes, mae yna

frechlyn, ond nid yw hyn yn meddwl ni ddylai ni peidio cadw pellter – mae’n rhaid i ni barhau i gymryd rhagofalon angenrheidiol i wrthod rhannu’r feirws yn fwy nag y mae wedi rhannu’n barod.

Mae’r flwyddyn hon wedi bod yn hollol od! Mae 2020 wedi teimlo fel oes ond hefyd fel bod pob dim wedi digwydd o fewn eiliad. Nid yw nifer ohonom ni wedi gweld ein teuluoedd ers i ni symud nôl i Gaerdydd ym mis Medi, ac felly mae’n teimlo fel oedd mis Medi ond ddoe, ond hefyd fel petai ein bod wedi ail-fyw Gorffennaf pedair gwaith.

Wrth gwrs, bydd cyfnod y Nadolig yn hollol wahanol i’r arfer. Gyda chyfnodau clo a rheolau pellter cymdeithasol dal yn ei le, er bod yna rheolau swigen yma yng Nghymru, bydd nifer ohonom ni dal yn gorfod delio gyda Diwrnod Nadolig gyda’n teulu dros y we.

Mae’n rhaid i ni fod yn ddiolchgar bod gennym ni ein hiechyd a’n teulu.

Mae’n rhaid i ni ddathlu bywydau’r rhai a gollwyd eleni, a chofio’u gwenau. Mae’n rhaid i ni gofio bod tai ac anrhegion gennym ni.

Bydd bod yn ddiolchgar ymysg y flwyddyn hon yn anodd, ond gall cyfnod y Nadolig bod yn gyfle da i godi ysbryd sydd ei angen nawr, yn fwy nag erioed o’r blaen.

Felly, oddi wrth bawb Gair Rhydd, Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

NODYN GAN Y GOLYGYDD

NEWS

COVID-19 vaccine rolled out in Wales

1000 doses administered over the weekend to initial candidates Luthien Evans News Editor

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he start of the Welsh vaccine rollout has begun. This is following announcements that the Pfizer/ BioNTech Coronavirus vaccine was approved by UK regulators. However, the Health Minister Vaughan Gething said that “it may take months before some people are able to receive the vaccine”.

The initial doses will be administered to those in the over-80 category and front-line NHS staff first. It has been confirmed by the Welsh Government that the initial intake of vaccines will total to 40,000 doses, this will allow nearly 20,000 people to be vaccinated.

On Monday, December 7, the vaccine was delivered to Wales’ seven health boards. A Welsh Government spokesperson has stated ‘“It is expected nearly 1,000 doses will be administered in the first phase by each of the seven health boards in Wales by the end of the weekend. This will take place at one vaccination centre in each of the seven health boards, mostly in hospitals.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock stated that there is no need to apply for the

COVID-19 vaccine: The vaccine is already being rolled out, but the general population won’t see it for some time. Source: Govenor Tom Wolf (via Flickr) vaccine “as the NHS would be in touch Pentwyn Leisure Centre in north Carwith those eligible” and further added diff and Holm View Leisure Centre “please step forward for your country”. in Barry. The Splott centre will have This announcement comes a day af- 20 vaccine stations available. Mobile ter Wales reported 2000 COVID cases teams will work to reach more vulnerain a single day. ble people, such as those in care homes.

The first vaccination in Wales was Gething has also stated that: “The given to care home worker Craig At- Welsh Immunisation System has been kins, 48, at the vaccination site in developed in Wales and can create apCwmbran. pointments and automatically schedule The health board are planning to set second doses, send appointment letup mass vaccination centres in the Car- ters and record vaccinations for every diff and Vale Therapy Centre in Splott, COVID-19 vaccine given.”

The order of those to be vaccinated will be provided by the Welsh Government who are following the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The order of those to be vaccinated will be provided by the Welsh Government who are following the advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Following the vaccination, a card will be given to the person with details of the vaccine, the date and the batch numbers.

It will also have a reminder for the second appointment, which is needed with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The Welsh Government have branded these as a ‘NHS immunisation card’.

Cardiff Airport announces new budget airline Dominic Williams News Editor

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ince the devastating effects of COVID-19, many jobs across Wales in the aviation industry have seen large jobs cuts.

However, budget airline Wizz Air has announced it will have a permanent base at Cardiff Airport. With this announcement 40 jobs are set to be made with a further 250 jobs being made indirectly through the supply chain.

The budget airline has announced nine new routes from Cardiff including Alicante, Faro and Tenerife. Also, seasonal routes during the summer to Corfu and Palma de Mallorca as well as Lanzarote. A seasonal route in the winter to Sharm El Sheikh will be running.

Wizz Air was founded in September 2003, and now has over 150 destinations. Then in 2017 it

expanded to the UK, under Wizz Air UK and based its first base in Luton.

Cardiff Airport lost airline Flybe in March, which cost the Welsh Government £2million a month.

Wizz Air UK means a boost of 350,000 seats for travelers a year and hopefully points towards positive signs in the future.

Russell George MS, Welsh Conservative transport spokesman, welcomed the news saying, “State-owned Cardiff Airport is by no means out of the woods yet, but this might be a step on a long road to recovery.’’

Cardiff Airport announced that the UK base will land in Spring 2021. The overall perception to the announcement has been positive with FlightLink Wales the official taxi operator at Cardiff Airport commented that it was “fantastic news” for holidaymakers and the airport had done a good job in “securing the commitment of the budget airline”.

News Editor

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ith the aim to make a greener UK, the government recently announced this year the end of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030.

However, in Wales, just 0.17% of vehicles are electric. In an aim to reduce carbon emissions the Welsh Government has a proposed investment of £30million over 5 years.

Furthermore, a consultation on the strategy has been launched to support the efforts into the transition to low emission vehicles.

The Welsh Government has had

Electric avenue: The transition to electric-only will help mitigate the climate crisis. Source: Albert Bridge (via Geograph)

YOUR NEWS DESK

Zoe Kramer

Luthien Evans

Sam Portillo Wizz air: The airline could help provide jobs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Source: Rob Hodgkins (via Wikimedia Commons) Spencer Birns, Cardiff Airport’s will give us all something to look interim chief executive said ‘’ “We forward to for next year.” know many people living in Wales In 2019, Cardiff dealt with are craving a well-deserved holi- 1.7million passengers compared day after such a challenging year to Bristol who dealt with 9miland these new flights will give lion. The deal with Wizz Air will so many more opportunities for hopefully prove to be lifeline for holidays to be planned now that Cardiff Airport.

Wales transitioning to electric vehicles by 2030 Dominic Williams

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discussions with consumers to identify a number of issues that reduced confidence in electric vehicles. Therefore, the government has listed desired outcomes including payment to be possible by contactless and a app-based system, consistent information about charging on main roads, reliable and available infrastructure, 24/7 customer care to support drivers, and safe, well-lit environments for charging facilities.

The strategy outlines the need for between 30,000 and 50,000 fast charges and 2,000 to 3,500 rapid chargers.

Furthermore, the Welsh Government has been clear that it expects the private sector to lead on the infrastructure, with the UK government support where the market fails. As part of the 2018-2019 budget deal with Plaid Cymru, the Welsh government committed £2m

in funding to electric car charging points over two years, 2018-19 and 2019-2020.

Electric vehicles is an emerging market but one that that will be integral to how we travel in the coming years.

However, the Welsh Government’s engagement with stakeholders has been lacking. The local government especially has been critical in efforts to date. Though the Minister recognized the importance of working in partnership with others and we expect to see progress in

Dominic Williams news@gairrhydd.com this area around the development and publication of the EV charging strategy.

Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, commented: ‘‘Electric vehicles is an emerging market but one that that will be integral to how we travel in the coming years.

Improvements cannot be driven by government alone, and this strategy will support the public, private, and third sector to work together in giving people confidence in using electric vehicles.’’

Transport for Wales will take the lead in delivering rapid charging on the strategic trunk road network.

The Welsh Government’s Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Transformation Fund will be used to support the transition for taxis and private hire.

Delivery measures will be outlined within the Action Plan.

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NEWS

Welsh climate Greenpeace protests at Tesco over investment in deforestation fuelling the destruction of forests like change: a future Zoe Kramer the Amazon.”

Head of News Volunteers also delivered a letter without snow to the manager at Tesco, which urged Zoe Kramer

Head of News

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ccording to Met Office statistics, the UK’s climate could change drastically in the coming years.

The results suggest that by the 2040s there could no longer be sub-zero days in southern England, and by the 2060s the only regions to encounter snow will be northern Scotland and high ground.

This means that in the coming decades, Wales could see a permanent change towards warmer winters without snow.

Dr Lizzie Kendon, a senior Met Office scientist who worked on the climate projections, says it could mean the end of winter activities such as sledging, snowmen and snowball fights.

“We’re saying by the end of the century much of the lying snow will have disappeared entirely except over the highest ground,” she told Panorama.

The average coldest day temperature is expected to increase, based on current emissions patterns. In the past three decades, the average coldest day was -4.3 Celsius, whereas in the future it is expected to be above 0.

“The overarching picture is warmer, wetter winters; hotter, drier summers,” Dr Kendon says.

“But within that, we get this shift towards more extreme events, so more frequent and intense extremes, so heavier rainfall when it occurs.”

“The rate and nature of the climate change that we’re seeing is unprecedented,” says Dr Mark McCarthy of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre.

If emissions are successfully reduced, these temperature rises could be smaller.

Metal detectors installed in Cardiff bars Zoe Kramer

Head of News

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ue to a recent increase in stabbings in Cardiff, metal detectors will be installed in certain venues.

The changes have been made after three individuals suffered stab wounds in Cardiff city centre, as well as another incident in Canton in which an individual was hurt.

Detective Superintendent Esyr Jones said: “There will be a very visible police presence across the city this weekend and screening devices will be present outside some city centre premises to help maintain a safe environment, reassure the public and deter anyone thinking of carrying a weapon.

“I want to re-emphasise that Wednesday’s stabbing and Saturday’s violent disorder in the city centre are not random attacks, they involve groups of local teenage boys targeting each other and we appeal to the community for information.

“Again, we ask families and community elders to speak to their children about the dangers of knife crime and to contact South Wales Police if they suspect their child was involved in this, or any other knife crime, incident. Taking these steps could save a life.”

Police suspect that the attacks are not random, but rather involve targeted attacks from groups of local teenage boys.

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reenpeace targeted Tesco over the weekend with peaceful demonstrations.

The demonstration is part of Greenpeace’s new campaign against deforestation, particularly in the habitats of jaguars. Protestors re-enacted a scene from Greenpeace’s animation on the subject.

The environmental group has been urging Tesco to cut in half the amount of meat it sells by 2025, as well as to stop doing business with JBS, a Brazilian company accused of furthering deforestation in the rainforest. JBS is the world’s largest meat company.

Greenpeace has articulated how the rainforest is being destroyed by “slash and burn” practices, where the ecosystem is destroyed to create more space to graze livestock. As a result, the Amazon has been subject to thousands of fires and a loss of biodiversity.

Campaigner Clare James said: ‘Threatened wildlife such as jaguars are losing their homes to deforestation, so that’s why we brought these magnificent creatures to Tesco in Cardiff today.

“New Tesco CEO Ken Murphy needs to take urgent action to stop

the company to take action to protect forests, and as a result, the planet as a whole. The letter reiterated how phasing out industrial meat can help make these changes.

This is not the first time the group

Threatened wildlife such as jaguars are losing their homes to deforestation, so that’s why we brought these magnificent creatures to Tesco in Cardiff today. has protested at Tesco locations in Cardiff. In September and October, activists protested at the Pengam Green and Western Avenue stores, and placed stickers reading “forests destroyed to produce this meat” on certain meat products. Greenpeace members also put up posters with the same slogan.

Slash and burn: The Amazon is cleared to create grazing land for livestock.

Source: Matt Zimmerman (via Wikimedia Commons) In response, a Tesco spokesperson said: “We share Greenpeace’s aim to end deforestation in the Amazon.

“It’s why we’ve set challenging public targets committing to zero deforestation, it’s why we’ve committed to a 300% increase in the sales of plantbased meat alternatives, why we don’t sell Brazilian beef and why we support action to ensure all food sold in the UK is deforestation-free.”

The activist group has visited other Tesco locations across the UK as of late to spread this message.

Another Greenpeace campaign in March targeted Barclays bank, which is known as the largest funder of fossil

fuels of all European banks. This campaign involved a pop-up exhibition of photographs of climate disasters and posters, as well as disabling the doors, which put a halt to business.

Over the summer, Greenpeace also called for Cardiff to invest in green transport, and to redesign its streets to allow for more walking and cycling, and fewer cars.

Their mission statement is: “Greenpeace is a movement of people who are passionate about defending the natural world from destruction. Our vision is a greener, healthier and more peaceful planet, one that can sustain life for generations to come.”

Cardiff man decorates house like movie set for Christmas Luthien Evans News Editor

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ollowing an unpredictable year, one man from Cardiff has decided to spread some Christmas cheer this year by decorating his house like that of a film set.

Danny Hargreaves, 42, has decided to decorate the front of his house in Llandaff- bringing inspiration from various Christmas films. This has been a common attraction for the past five years, with Hargreaves going all out with festive decorations on both Christmas and Halloween.

His halloween display featured tarantulas and skeletons- this display raised over £5,000 for charity. This spurred on the family to go all out for the Christmas display.

The Christmas display is a film lovers’ dream. His front garden is decorated with a crashed helicopter driven by the Grinch covered in fake snow. It has been said that these items appear overnight. Other films that are being paid homage to are Die Hard, Gremlins and Home Alone.

The Gremlins can be seen scurrying all across the house.

Hargreaves owns the special effects company, Real SFX, this enables him to be able to provide such an extravagant display for those viewing.

His special effects have appeared in shows like Peaky Blinders as well as Cardiff favourite Doctor Who. Some of the items have even come from the sets of Hollywood films.

Hargreaves has stated that ‘the helicopter is from The War of the Worlds’ and the car featured ‘has

Christmas cheer: Llandaff, the otherwise quiet area where the festive house is located. Source: Bill Boaden (via Geograph) come straight from the latest Batman film’.

Hargreaves and his partner have been raising money for charity through the decorations. Donations will go to the children’s charity,

Dreams and Wishes. He has stated that this has given him ‘some incentive to go bigger and better than ever’.

As of 8 December, their fundraising page has reached almost £5000 in donations.

Deposit return scheme instated for recycling Sam Portillo News Editor

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he Welsh Government will trial a deposit return scheme this spring, encouraging consumers to recycle single-use containers such as plastic bottles in return for digital tokens worth an initial 20p each.

The trial will take place over the course of four weeks in the town of Colwyn Heights in Conwy, North Wales, using ‘Polytag’ technology to scan and register items through a mobile phone app. During the scheme pilot, each recycled item, scanned first by the consumer and then the council’s recycling team, will be worth a 20p donation to Ysgol Pen y Bryn, the local primary school.

Scanning technology marks the programme as different from previous deposit return schemes, which required consumers to take recyclable items to a central location. Using the mobile app, consumers will be able to take part from home.

All single-use containers are eligi-

Return scheme: Those who return single-use containers will receive payments.

Source: Hans (via Pixabay) ble for scanning, meaning recycled Others use a network of ‘reverse plastic, glass and metal items could vending machines’ which serve as be worth 20p each. designated collection points.

40 other countries already run In Wales, an extra cost would be a deposit return scheme (DRS) of added to recyclable containers in the some kind, where it is hoped to en- shop in order to fund the technology courage consumers to take a proac- and logistics behind the programme, tive approach against climate change likely between 10p and 20p. Reby limiting their waste. In some search by the UK Parliament’s Encases, recyclable items are returned vironment Audit Committee found to the shop they were bought from. that countries with a DRS in place

tend to recycle between 80 and 95 percent of their plastic bottles. For comparison, England currently recycles at a rate of around 57 percent.

The research did find some outliers - places with a DRS in place which report no increase in recycling rate such as South Australia and California. Beyond consumer willingness to play their part, factors such as the efficiency of waste collection also help to determine recycling rates. Wales has a comfortably higher recycling rate than England, which some attribute to the efficiency of its nationwide system, compared to England’s, where processes differ across each local authority area.

Wales would not be a trailblazer in implementing a DRS, then, but rather following in the footsteps of 40 countries from around the world.

Indeed, the UK ran a similar system from the 1960s to 1980s, offering people their money back in return for their glass bottles. The Scottish Parliament has already voted to implement a national DRS from July 2022, and Wales could follow soon after.

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6

TAF-OD

taf od

Barn y Bobol

Wrth i gefnogwyr dychwelyd i stadiwm yn Lloegr, nid yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi caniatáu i gefnogwyr ein gwald gwneud yr un peth.

Wythnos yma, rydym yn gofyn myfyrwyr beth yw eu barn nhw ar y mater. Dyma farn Elen, Rhys a Bethany.

Elen Owen

Myfyrwraig y drydedd flwyddyn, Meddygaeth.

Heb amheuaeth, y byddinoedd o ffans brwd wnaeth gynnau fflam fy obsesiwn i â phêl-droed, ac dwi’n sicr bod hynny yn wir i sawl cefnogwr arall. Credaf bod eironi mawr i’w weld yn y torfau o bobol yn siopa yng Nghaerdydd ar bnawniau Sadwrn yn heidio at gyfeiriad John Lewis. Sgwn i os fusai’r ymateb mor ddi-hid os oeddent yn gwisgo crysau yr adar gleision ac yn cerdded at gyfeiriad y Canton Stand yn lle? Os ydy’r cyfy giadau cywir mewn lle a chefnogwyr yn gwisgo y PPE cywir, nid ydwyf yn gweld dim rheswm i beidio ei gadael i fewn i’r stands, boed hynny yn y clybiau mawr neu yn y clybiau bach lleol.

Rhys Gittins

Myfyriwr y drydedd flwyddyn, Y Gyfraith a Gwleidyddiaeth.

Wedi ymatebion cadarnhaol gan y chwaraewyr, hyfforddwyr a’r cefnogwyr eu hunain, mawr siom yw’r gwrthwynebiad parhaus gan Lywodraeth Cymru i beidio ag ail gyflwyno cefnogwyr yng Nghymru.

Mae’n glir o’r hyn a brofwyd yn Lloegr fod modd ail gyflwyno cefnogwyr mewn ffordd ddiogel a chydymffurfir yn gyflawn â chan lawiau Covid. Mae’n bryd felly i Lywodraeth Cymru weithredu, ac i ail gyflwyno cefnogwyr.

Bethany Pierce

Myfyrwraig yr ail flwyddyn, Llenyddiaeth a Iaith Saesneg Wrth i gefnogwyr dychwelyd i stadiymau yn Lloegr ers iddynt ddod allan o’r cyfnod clo, mae rhaid gofyn pam nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud yr un fath. Os oes hawl gennyf i fynd allan i siopa neu am fwyd, lle nad oes lawer o bellhau cymdeithasol yn digwydd, pam nad yw cefnogwyr gallu dychwelyd- a hynny mewn ffordd ddiogel sydd yn cydymffurfio gyda chyfyngiadau'r llywodraeth.

Os mae pawb yn gwisgo mygydau ac yn cadw pellter o’i gilydd, beth yw’r broblem? Mae timoedd hefyd yn colli arian yn ogystal â chefnogaeth eu cefnogwyr, nid yw’n gyfleus iddynt o gwbl. Y cwestiwn felly yw, pam bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn erbyn caniatáu i gefnogwyr dychwelyd?

Rygbi: Adolygiad Cwpan Cenhedloedd yr Hydref (tudalen 9)

NEWYDDION

Gwasanaethau Nadolig Amgen yn 2020 Y pandemig yn olygu gorfod dathlu wasanaethau Nadolig Amgen eleni Alaw Fflur Jones Golygydd Taf-od

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r bod y coronafeirws yn dal i ledu, mae paratoadau’r Nadolig yn parhau. Ond, yn sgil cyfyngiadau’r feirws, mae ysgolion, mudiadau, Eglwysi a Chapeli wedi gorfod addasu eu trefniadau er mwyn dathlu’r Nadolig eleni. Ni ellir cynnal gwasanaethau Nadolig arferol, ond mae sefydliadau wedi trefnu gwasanaethau amgen sydd yn cydymffurfio i ganllawiau iechyd a diogelwch y feirws.

Eleni, mae Eglwys y Crwys, Ysgol Tremeirchion a Chapel Harriet wedi addasu drwy fanteisio ar rym y we er mwyn cynnal gwasanaethau Nadolig rhithiol. Fel rhan o wasanaeth Capel Harriet, mae Aelod y Waun Ddyfal yn perfformio trwy greu rhithgor. Yn ôl Elen Lois Jones, cadeirydd y Waun Ddyfal, ‘mae’n beth da bod y Capel a’r Aelwyd yn addasu i ddathlu’r Nadolig mewn ffordd ofalus eleni.’

Ond, er mor ddiolchgar yw’r aelwyd o bŵer technoleg wrth eu caniatáu i berfformio’n rhithiol, mae’r aelwyd yn mawr obeithio y gallant ddychwelyd yn ôl i’r festri yn fuan er mwyn ‘cynnig mwy na rhithgor flwyddyn nesaf.’

Mae Ysgol Gynradd Pontardawe hefyd wedi addasu eu gwasanaeth Nadolig arferol drwy gynnal ‘gwasanaeth o bell’ ar 17 o Ragfyr. Mae pob dosbarth

yn yr ysgol yn cymryd rhan drwy wneud eitem o’i dewis dros gyfrwng fideo, a bydd pob fideo yn cael eu cyfuno i greu un gwasanaeth Nadolig rhithiol. Yn ôl, Sian Richards athrawes yn Ysgol Gynradd Pontardawe, ‘Er mwyn y plant, mae’n bwysig ein bod yn addasu drwy greu gwasanaeth o bell. Mae’n cadw popeth yn fwy normal iddyn nhw gan fod pethau wedi bod mor rhyfedd dros y misoedd diwethaf. Mi fydd hefyd yn hyfryd i’r teulu estynedig gael gweld y plant, gan nad ydynt wedi cael y cyfle i’w gweld oherwydd y feirws’.

Ond, mae Eglwysi bro Aeron Mydr wedi cael yr hawl i gynnal gwasanaethau yn eu heglwysi ers mis Awst gan eithrio ambell gyfnod clo yn ystod Mis Tachwedd dan reolau penodol gan yr Eglwys yng Nghymru. Ac, felly mae Eglwysi bro Aeron Mydr yn paratoi at gynnal gwasanaethau Nadolig wyneb yn wyneb yn eu Heglwysi.

Ond, oherwydd cyfyngiadau’r coronafeirws, ni chaniateir mwy na 30 aelod oherwydd rheolau cadw pellter cymdeithasol. Esboniodd y Ficer Wyn Maskell, ‘Rydym yn y gorffennol wedi cael lan hyd at 90 i wasanaeth noswyl Nadolig lle mae’r eglwys ond yn eistedd lan i 100. Yn amlwg ni fydd hyn yn bosib eleni!’

Felly, mae Ficer Wyn Maskell yn gorfod addasu drwy gynnal sawl gwasanaeth, a bydd gofyn i bawb go-

Nadolig wahanol: Llu o wasnaethau Nadolig amgen yn cael eu cynnal i ddathlu’r yn ddiogel eleni.. Tarddiad: Mark Anderson (drwy Geograph) frestru o flaen llaw er mwyn mynychu.

Ond, petai’r amgylchiadau yn newid eto cyn y Nadolig, esboniodd Wyn Maskell, ‘efallai bod modd i ni edrych at gynnal gwasanaethau tu allan, ond eto mae hyn yn ddibynnol ar gyfarwyddid yr Eglwys yng Nghymru a’r llywodraeth. Dwi yn mawr obeithio y cawn ni wasanaethau Nadolig er mwyn ddathlu dyfodiad ein Harglwydd Iesu Grist gyda’n teuluoedd a’n ffrindiau.’ Yn sgil cyfyngiadau’r sefyllfa bresennol, gobe-

ithir hefyd harnesu ar rym y cyfryngau cymdeithasol er mwyn trosglwyddo neges y Nadolig i aelodau a’r gymuned eangach.

Ymysg yr holl drefniadau amgen, mae hefyd modd i unigolion gynnal gwasanaeth Nadolig eu hunain o gynhesrwydd eu cartrefi gyda chymorth adnoddau ar-lein oddi ar wefan Beibl. net a gair.cymru. Felly, er gwaetha’r coronafeirws mae amryw ffyrdd ar gael er mwyn dathlu’r Nadolig yn amgen ac yn ddiogel eleni.

Cronfa Llywodraeth Cymru’n cefnogi’r celfyddydau Catrin Lewis

Golygydd Taf-od

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ae Cronfa Adferiad Diwylliannol Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dosrannu dros £30 miliwn er mwyn cynnig cymorth i’r celfyddydau’n ystod y pandemig. Yn ogystal, cynigodd Cyngor Celfyddydau Cymru becyn gwerth £20 miliwn i’r sector fis diwethaf er mwyn ceisio dadwneud niwed y pandemig.

Ers iddo gael ei ddosrannu, mae’r arian wedi bod yn cael ei ddefnyddio

er mwyn cefnogi amgueddfeydd, theatrau, llyfrgelloedd a sinemâu annibynnol i enwi dim ond rhai.

Hefyd, mae dros 2,800 o bobl sy’n gweithio’n llawrydd eisoes wedi derbyn cyfran o gronfa gwerth £7 miliwn er mwyn eu cefnogi yn ystod y cyfnod ble mae gwaith yn brin.

Llywodraeth Cymru oedd y cyntaf ym Mhrydain i sefydlu cronfa i weithwyr llawrydd gan gydnabod bod dod o hyd i waith yn gallu bod yn sialens yn ystod y cyfnod hwn.

Mae’r gronfa wedi bod yn gymorth mawr i’r sector celfyddydau yn dilyn

Cronfa Llywodraeth Cymru: Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi pecyn gwerth £20 milwin i’r celfyddydau. Tarddiad: Nufkin (drwy Wikimedia Commons)

y coronafeirws ac mae sawl un wedi canmol y cymorth ychwanegol maent wedi ei dderbyn.

Henry Widdicombe, prif drefnydd gwyliau comedi Machynlleth ac Aberystwyth yw un o’r bobl sydd wedi dangos ei werthfawrogiad. Dywedodd: “Yn syml, mae’r gefnogaeth oddi wrth y Gronfa Adferiad Diwylliannol gan Lywodraeth Cymru, wedi golygu’r gwahaniaeth rhwng ein sefydliad yn goroesi’r pandemig neu beidio,” “Rydym yn croesawu’r holl gefnogaeth i’r celfyddydau yng Nghymru ac rydym yn gobeithio y gall y sector oroesi hyn diolch i raddau helaeth i’r cronfeydd hyn.”

Yn gyffredinol, mae’r gronfa wedi cael ei groesawu gyda sawl un yn ei weld fel y llinell rhwng eu busnes yn goroesi’r pandemig neu beidio.

Yn ystod y pandemig, mae llawer o weithwyr llawrydd a busnesau annibynnol wedi dioddef yn economaidd o ganlyniad i’r cyfyngiadau oedd wedi eu gosod.

Mae sawl cyfyngiad hefyd yn parhau i fod yn eu lle.

Fel rhan o gyfyngiadau diweddaraf Llywodraeth Cymru nid oes gan leoliadau adloniant dan do ganiatâd i agor eu drysau.

Golyga hyn fod sinemâu, theatrau ac amgueddfeydd yn parhau i fod ar gau gros gyfnod y Nadolig.

Mae busnesau’n gwneud colled maer yn ystod cyfnod sydd fel arfer yn hynod

o brysur iddynt.

Dywedodd yr Arglwydd Dafydd Elis-Thomas, Dirprwy Weinidog Diwylliant, Chwaraeon a Thwristiaeth Llywodraeth Cymru, “rydym am wneud popeth bosib i sicrhau bod ein celfyddydau, diwylliant a chreadigrwydd yn goroesi’r pandemig hwn,” Yn ogystal, aeth yn ei flaen i ychwanegu bod y gronfa yn “mynd â ni ymhell y tu hwnt i’r £59m o gyllid canlyniadol a gafwyd gan Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig ym mis Gorffennaf, gan dynnu sylw at y gwerth a roddwn i gyfraniad y sector at fywyd Cymru a’r economi ehangach – ac mae’n rhaid i hynny barhau yn y dyfodol.”

Er bod effaith economaidd y pandemig ar y celfyddydau yn un sylweddol, mae’r gronfa yn sicr yn cynnig help mawr i fusnesau sy’n dioddef yn ystod y cyfnod digynsail hwn.

Mae’n debyg hebddo buasai llawer mwy o fusnesau neu sefydliadau yn y sector celfyddydau wedi gorfod cau eu drysau yn barhaol.

Gyda’r brechlyn wedi cychwyn cael ei ddosrannu yng Nghymru dydd Mawrth y gobaith yw bod dyfodol mwy sicr i’r celfyddydau yn y flwyddyn newydd.

Fodd bynnag, am y tro, mae’n rhaid i filoedd o bobl ar draws Gymru ddibynnu ar y gronfa er mwyn ceisio goroesi.

Mae’r gronfa wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth mawr i’r sector.

TAF-OD

Pryd o Daf-od: Dafydd Lewis Myfyriwr yn ei drydydd flwyddyn, Dafydd Lewis sydd yn Pryd o Daf-od wythnos yma.

Fel myfyriwr sydd ond yn byw awr i ffwrdd yn Abertawe, mae Dafydd fel arfer yn mynd adref yn eithaf aml i weld ei deulu, ond nid oedd gallu wneud blwyddyn yma.

Bydd y Nadolig hwn yn golygu llawer mwy i Dafydd felly, wrth iddo dreulio amser sylweddol gyda’i deulu am y tro cyntaf ers amser hir. Yn y darn yma, sonia Dafydd am helyntion diwrnod Nadolig yn ei dŷ, y cinio Nadolig a’r hyfrydwch o fod gartref dros y gwyliau.

M

COVID-19, dwi wedi gorfod cyfyngu nifer yr amser dwi’n treulio gartref.

Mae pethau wedi bod yn anodd, enwedig dim gweld fy rheini a’m frawd gymaint a bydden i’n hoffi, ond mae’r sefyllfa’r un peth i bawb, nid jyst fi. Dwi’n ddiolchgar bod cyfyngiadau yn cael eu llacio er mwyn i mi gael mynd adref y Nadolig hwn.

Mae treulio Nadolig gartref yn rhywbeth dwi’n edrych ymlaen ati yn flynyddol. Mae’n braf dychwelyd adref am benwythnos i weld fy rheini a’m frawd, ond mae ond treulio dau ddiwrnod dim yn ddigon.

Nadolig yw’r amser perffaith i fod gartref, er mwyn treulio amser sylweddol gyda phawb a hefyd i fwynhau ‘hwyl yr ŵyl’.

Mae yna lawer o bethau dwi’n mwynhau am fod gartref dros y Nadolig, ond un o’r pethau gorau yw bod pawb mewn hwyliau da, a chredaf bydd yr hwyliau llawer well eleni ar ôl flwyddyn ddiflas.

Dwi’n siŵr bydd bron pawb yn cytuno pan dwi’n dweud mai’r bwyd yw’r peth gorau am y Nadolig. Esgus hawdd i ni stwffio’n gwynebau heb deimlo’n wael am wneud.

Ni ellir gwadu blas anhygoel cinio Nadolig, y pigs in blankets, y twrci, bob dim wir. Nid yn unig y cinio sydd yn wych, ond y ffaith bod siocledi wastad yn y tŷ i ni fwyta.

Bydd mam yn prynu llu o focsys siocled sy’n amrywio o Heroes, Cel-

ae’n cliché i ddweud hwn nawr, ond mae 2020 wedi bod yn flwyddyn hynod o

ryfeddol.

Mae normalrwydd wedi cael ei chwalu o ganlyniad i bandemig COVID-19, ac mae’n teimlo fel bod mis Mawrth hyd at nawr wedi bod yn un mis hynod o hir. Ond o leiaf cawn ddiweddu’r flwyddyn gyda bach o normalrwydd wrth ddychwelyd adref am y Nadolig.

Dwi wir yn edrych ymlaen at dreulio Nadolig gartref blwyddyn yma, yn fwy nag unrhyw flwyddyn arall ers i mi fod yn y brifysgol.

Fel arfer, bydden i wedi mynd adref tua 4 neu 5 gwaith dros y tymor, ond oherwydd cyfyngiadau

ebrations a llawer mwy, ac mae hyn i gyd ar ben cael advent calendar bob dydd hefyd.

Yn ogystal â’r bwyd dros y Nadolig, mae ffilmiau Nadoligaidd yn anhygoel hefyd.

Mae llawer o ddewisiadau ar gael ac mae pob un ohonynt werth eu gwylio. Rhaid dadlau mai’r gyfres Home Alone yw’r gorau allan o’r ffilmiau yma, cyfres ddoniol a chwerthinllyd sydd yn cael ei wylio bob Nadolig yn ein tŷ ni.

Nid ond gartref dwi’n gwylio’r ffilmiau hefyd, yn y brifysgol dwi’n gwylio’r ffilmiau gyda’m ffrindiau

Bydde ti’n lwcus i ffindio botel fel ‘na yn Spar Landysul!

Mynd ar goll ar y London Underground pan oni’n tua 10.

Mynd ar goll ar y London Underground - antur a hanner.

3. Beth oedd dy air cyntaf?

10. Beth yw dy gas beth?

“Henffych nyrsys glangwili”

Gorfod cyflwyno rhaglen radio gyda Lois Campbell... sydd ymlaen ar Ddydd Mawrth am 3yh ar Xpress!

5. Beth fyddet ti’n ei archebu o’r bwyty Indiaidd lleol?

Sag aloo a 4 popadom fel side.

6. Pwy oeddet ti’n ffansio pan oeddet ti’n iau?

Rhyw athrawes siwr a fod... neu Emma Walford...

7. Pwy yw dy hoff fand/artist?

Dwi’n gwrando ar lot fwy o gerddoriaeth Saesneg na Chymraeg.

Saesneg - Radiohead. Cymraeg - Yr

taf-od

Alaw Fflur Jones

8. Prosecco neu champagne?

9. Beth oedd y diwrnod gorau iti ei gael erioed?

Build Me Up Buttercup - karaoke classic, wrth gwrs.

Trafod gyda’r

Ods.

2. Beth yw’r digwyddiad sy’n codi’r mwyaf o embaras arnat?

4. Pe fyddet ti ar yr X-Factor, pa gân byddet ti’n ei chanu a pham?

Aled Biston

Mwynhau’r Nadolig: Mae Dafydd yn edyrch ymlaen at bod adref a mwynhau’r ‘Dolig gyda’i deulu. Tarddiad: Jill Wellington (drwy Pixabay)

Gwion Ifan

Fi yw Gwion Ifan o Landysul a dwi’n astudio Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth.

EICH TÎM TAF-OD

Annell Dyfri

Yn Trafod gyda’r Taf-od wythnos yma mae...

1. Pwy wyt ti a beth wyt ti’n astudio?

yn y tŷ. Nid oes llawer o adegau lle ni’n cael eistedd lawr gyda’n gilydd a gwylio teledu, felly mae’n neis i ni gyd gwneud cyn mynd adref am y Nadolig.

Y peth pwysicaf i ni wneud y Nadolig yma, yn ogystal â chadw’n ddiogel, yw i ni fwynhau.

Mae hi wedi bod yn flwyddyn anodd i bawb, nid oedd un person yn disgwyl i 2020 bod fel yr oedd hi, felly wrth i’r flwyddyn dod at ei ddiwedd, dylem ymlacio a mwynhau achos ni’n haeddu gwneud.

Gobeithiwn am 2021 lot gwell, mae hynny’n siŵr.

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Catrin Lewis

11. Beth fyddet ti’n gwneud yn ystod dy noson ddelfrydol?

Pringles. Hummus. Thatchers. Hot Fuzz - neu Clwb!

12. Pe taset ti’n gallu bod yn unrhyw anifail am ddiwrnod, pa un fyddet ti’n ei ddewis, a pham?

Un o rhai fferm Old McDonald.

13. Disgrifia dy hun mewn 3 gair.

Braidd dim amynedd.

14. Pwy fydd yn trafod ‘da’r Taf-od wythnos nesaf?

Lois Campbell.

taf od Nel Richards

Gwion yn joio: Mae Gwion wedi neud y gorau o fod yn Ne Cymru, yn dringo Pen y Fan, ac yn mwynhau gyda ffrindiau.

Tarddiad: Gwion Ifan. tafod@gairrhydd.com www.gairrhydd.com/tafod

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TAF-OD

Elfyn Evans DIWYLLIANT yn ail ym S4C yn cyhoeddi calendr Advent ar Clic Mhencamp- Y wefan yn rhyddhau rhai o glasuron sianel S4C wriaeth Annell Dyfri Ralïo’r Byd Golygydd Taf-od

Aled Biston Pennaeth Taf-od

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r gwaethaf tymor anhygoel ym Mhencampwriaeth Ralïo’r Byd eleni, methiant fu ymdrechion Elfyn Evans wedi i’w gerbyd lithro mewn tywydd echrydus yn Rali Monza ddydd Sadwrn. Roedd Evans zr fin ennill y bencampwriaeth os yr oedd wedi cael ras da, ond yn anffodus roedd ei gar yn llithro yn golygu nad oedd wedi ennill y teitl.

Y Ffrancwr Sebastien Ogier a enillodd o wyth pwynt gam amddifadu’r Cymro Cymraeg o Ddinas Mawddwy ei deitl o fod yn Bencampwr Ralïo’r Byd. Petai Evans wedi ennill ef fyddai’r Cymro cyntaf i gyflawni’r gamp a’r trydydd Prydeiniwr. Yn 1995 Colin McRae oedd y pencampwr, ac yn 2001 fe gipiodd Richard Burns y bencampwriaeth.

Ond yn anffodus, nid oedd Evans wedi cipio’r bencampwriaeth ei hun.

Un sy’n gwylio’r bencampwriaeth ac yn gefnogwr Elfyn Evans, yw Rhys Gittins, myfyriwr y drydedd flwyddyn ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Dywedodd ef,“Roedd Elfyn Evans yn wych dros y tymor i gyd, siom aruthrol oedd gweld iddo gael damwain yn Rali Monza.

Roedd yn perfformio’n gyson drwy’r flwyddyn, ond cafodd un siom ar y funud olaf, gobeithiaf ei fod yn parhau gyda’i berfformiadau blwyddyn nesaf, a gallu cipio’r bencampwriaeth i’w hun”.

Wrth siarad gyda BBC Cymru Fyw wedi’r digwyddiad, dywedodd Elfyn Evans ei fod yn teimlo trueni ar ran y tîm,“Wrth ddod rownd y gornel roedd yr arwyneb wedi newid ac wrth i fi frecio roedd o fel gwydr a doedd dim siwans i arafu… Roedd fy nodiadau i yn dweud wrthyf bod arwyneb y ffordd yn newid ond doeddwn id dim yn disgwyl iddo newid gymaint, rwy’n teimlo trueni ar ran y tîm.”

Er iddo golli ar y funud olaf, roedd Evans dal wedi dod yn ail gyda 114 pwynt, camp fedrus iawn sydd yn haeddu canmoliaeth.

Roedd tad Elfyn, y cyn-ralïwr Gwyndaf Evans, wedi dweud ei fod yn nerfus cyn i Elfyn cychwyn y ras, ond roedd yn browd beth bynnag oedd y canlyniad.

Er nad oedd y flwyddyn yma yn un fuddugoliaethus yn y bencampwriaeth i Elfyn, mae ganddo lawer o bethau positif i gymryd o’i ymgyrch. Fe ddaeth yn ail, ac ond wedi colli yn y rali olaf, croeswn bysedd bydd y Cymro yn ei hennill hi blwyddyn nesaf.

Elfyn Evans: Elfyn Evans yn Rali Llandudno yn Hydref 2017. Tarddiad: Llywelyn2000 (drwy Wikimedia Commons)

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yda chyfnod y Nadolig yn prysur agosáu, a phawb yn dychwelyd adref yn eu tro at eu teuluoedd i dreulio’r Ŵyl, yn sicr, bydd hi’n ‘Ddolig tra gwahanol eleni wrth i effeithiau’r coronaferiws barhau ymhlith ein cymunedau.

Dyma gyfnod prysura’r flwyddyn i nifer fel arfer, ond gyda dyddiaduron pawb yn wag eleni, dim cyngherddau ysgol, dim tripiau sgïo, dim ffeiriau Nadoligaidd a dim gweld teuluoedd estynedig, ‘dw i’n siwr y bydd nifer yn troi eu golygon at y sgrin hirsgwar yn eu lolfa.

Un o draddodiadau’r Ŵyl mewn sawl cartref yw prynu’r Radio Times ddechrau Rhagfyr er mwyn cael cip cynnar ar arlwy’r sianelau teledu dros gyfnod y Nadolig.

Eleni, serch hynny, mae S4C yn mynd cam ymhellach drwy gynnig ‘anrheg Nadolig gynnar’ i danysgrifwyr Clic, gwasnaeth ar alw’ r sianel.

Mae’r gwasanaeth yn cynnig arlwy eang er mwyn sicrhau bod rhywbeth at ddant pawb dros gyfnod y Nadolig.

Mewn datganiad i’r wasg, nododd y sianel y bydd ‘tri clasur o ffilm yn cael eu rhyddhau’ ac y bydd cyfle ‘i ailwylio’r ffilm rymus Milwr Bychan’.

Ychwanega’r datganiad fod ‘rhywbeth i wylwyr ifanc S4C sef Albi a Noa yn Achub yr Iwnifyrs’ a ‘hen ffefrynnau fel Siôn Blewyn Coch’.

Yn sicr, mae amrywiaeth eang o

raglenni yn rhan o Galendr Adfent newydd Clic eleni.

Gyda’r sianel wedi gorfod addasu’n fawr yn ystod y cyfnod clo, mae’r calendr adfent yn ddatblygiad newydd cyffrous i’r gwylwyr.

Nododd Amanda Rees, Cyfarwyddwr Cynnwys S4C fod S4C Clic ‘wedi bod yn stori lwyddiant mewn blwyddyn anodd iawn i bawb.

Rydym ni fel gwasanaeth wedi bod yn awyddus iawn i fod yna i’n gwylwyr i gynnig cymorth a chwmni trwy gyfnod Covid-19, ac mae ein llwyfan ar alw S4C Clic wedi bod yn rhan annatod o’n hymdrechion i gyrraedd cymaint o bobl â phosib’.

Un sydd wedi mwynhau rhaglenni S4C erioed yw Lois Campbell.

Yn wreiddiol o Gaerfyrddin a sydd bellach yn astudio Cymraeg a Newyddiaduraeth ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, mae cynnyrch y sianel a’i gwasanaeth atodol ‘Clic’ yn golygu llawer iddi.

Nododd ei bod o’r farn fod ‘cynllun S4C i ryddhau clasuron Cymraeg dyddiol ar Clic dros y Nadolig yn syniad gwych!’.

Gyda’i thymor cyntaf yn y brifysgol wedi bod yn un tra gwahanol i’r hyn yr oedd hi wedi ei ddisgwyl, ychwanegodd fod S4C wedi darparu ‘cyfle i ddod â’r teulu at ei gilydd ar ôl y flwyddyn galed yma i ymlacio a gwylio rhai o ffilmiau Nadolig Cymraeg neu raglenni eraill a fydd at ddant pawb.’

Gyda S4C yn barod i fentro mwy gan arbrofi mewn meysydd newydd

S4C Clic: Mae S4C Clic wedi dechrau cyfres Advent dros cyfnod mis Rhagfyr.

Tarddiad: John Lord (drwy Wikimedia Commons) yn flynyddol, ychwanegodd Lois y ddatblygu cynllun a fydd yn sicr o blebyddai’r cynllun hwn yn un ‘a fyddai’n sio ei chynulleidfa led-led Cymru a thu llwyddo i ddenu mwy o wylwyr i S4C hwnt. dros yr Ŵyl’.

Ceir mwy o wybodaeth am Galendr Yn amlwg, bu eleni’n flwyddyn he- Adfent unigryw S4C trwy ymweld â riol dros ben i’r sianel, ond braf yw gwefan y sianel: www.s4c.cymru/clic gweld ei chreadigrwydd ar waith gan

COVID-19: Beth fydd y trefn o rhan brechu?

Aled Biston

Pennaeth Taf-od

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r ôl misoedd o aros yn amyneddgar, mae brechlyn COVID-19 wedi glanio ar dirwedd Cymru.

Dros y misoedd i ddod bydd hyd at 1.4 miliwn o bobl i gael brechlyn COVID-19 yng Nghymru, tua hanner o bobl y wlad. Mae swyddogion yn paratoi ar gyfer un o’r rhaglenni iechyd fwyaf erioed ers sefydliad y GIG yn 1948. Ond, gyda’r brechlyn ar gael ac yn barod i’w ddosbarthu, sut y bydd yn cael ei gyflwyno a beth yw trefn y bobl fydd yn ei gael?

Dechreuodd y paratoadau yng Nghymru nol ym mis Mehefin, ac

unwaith cafodd caniatâd, roedd Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi’r brechlynnau cyntaf dechrau wythnos diwethaf.

Dyma foment hanesyddol i’r Gwasanaeth Iechyd wrth i’r broses o roi brechlynnau wlad yn cychwyn. Bydd pawb dros 50 oed yn cael cynnig y brechlyn yn ystod y misoedd nesaf i gychwyn.

Ond pryd gall myfyrwyr disgwyl iddynt gael y brechlyn?

Ni ddylai myfyrwyr disgwyl iddynt fod ar dop y rhestr i dderbyn y brechlyn. Allan o’r deg grŵp o bobl sydd yn derbyn y brechlyn, mae myfyrwyr yn dod o dan y degfed grŵp, sef ‘Gweddill y boblogaeth’. Mae myfyrwyr sydd â chyflyrau iechyd eraill sy’n cynyddu eu risg o salwch drwg neu farwolaeth, yn dod o dan y chweched grŵp. Trefn y

Gobaith o’r diwedd: Mae’r cynllun yng Nghymru yn barod wedi dechrau.

Tarddiad: Shafin_Protic (via Pixabay)

grwpiau i gyd yw: 1. Trigolion oedrannus mewn cartrefi gofal a gweithwyr cartrefi gofal. 2. Pobl 80 oed a hŷn a gweithwyr iechyd gofal cymdeithasol.

3. Pawb yn 75 oed a hŷn. 4. Y rhai 70 oed a hŷn ac unigolion bregus yn glinigol. 5. Pobl 65 oed neu’n hŷn. 6. Unigolion 16-64 oed sydd â chyflyrau iechyd eraill sy’n cynyddu eu risg o salwch drwg neu farwolaeth. 7. Pawb sy’n 60 oed a hŷn. 8. Pawb sy’n 55 oed a hŷn. 9.

Pawb sy’n 50 oed a hŷn. 10. Gweddill y boblogaeth.

O ran hyd amser ar gyfer y cynllun hwn, mae’n cymryd rhwng 1012 wythnos i ddosbarthu 900,000 o frechlynnau ar gyfer y ffliw. Mae 1.4 miliwn o bobo yn y grwpiau blaenoriaeth ar gyfer brechlynnau COVID. Amcangyfrifa bydd hi’n cymryd amser hir i frechlynnau Cymru gyfan, a bod angen i bawb cadw at reolau COVID gosodwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru nes bod cyhoeddiad newydd o ran y camau nesaf wedi y broses o frechu.

Byddwn yn derbyn gwybodaeth gan y Gwasanaeth Iechyd pan ddaw ein hamser ni i dderbyn y brechlyn. Bydd pob bwrdd iechyd yn cael ei gyfran a bydd brechlynnau’n mynd ledled Cymru ar yr un pryd. Bydd canolfannau brechu torfol yn cael eu sefydlu- yn enwedig ar gyfer y set gyntaf o frechlynnau, yr mRNA o Pfizer- ac mae angen ei gad war dymheredd isel iawn.

Ond beth mae myfyrwyr yn meddwl o’r broses o frechu, a’r drefn maent yn cael eu dosbarthu. Dywedodd Dafydd Lewis “Mae’n wych bod y broses o frechu yn digwydd o’r diwedd. Mae llawer o waith ac ymchwil wedi mynd mewn i ddatblygu’r brechlyn yma, a dwi’n credu bod y cynllun dosbarthu yn un teg. Mae COVID wedi dwyn llawer o amser wrthym, felly pan ddaw’r cynllun i’w ddiwedd, gobeithio bydd normalrwydd yn parhau.”

Myfyrwraig sydd yn obeithiol bydd

normalrwydd yn dychwelyd hefyd, yw Alaw Williams. “Fel myfyriwr, mae’r pandemig wedi rhwystro fy amser yn y brifysgol. Nid oeddwn yn disgwyl i fy mlwyddyn gyntaf dod i ben mor sydyn, gobeithio bydd y cynllun yn cael ei weithredu yn gywir heb unrhyw broblemau a bydd pethau yn dychwelyd i normal cyn hir.” Yn sicr, dyma farn nifer o fyfyrwyr, enwedig y rhai oedd wedi dod i brifysgol llynedd neu eleni, mae yna deimlad bod yr elfen gymdeithasol o’u profiad wedi cael ei ddwyn.

Gellir dadlau y dylai myfyrwyr bod yn uwch yn y cynllun brechu. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi creu cynlluniau i fyfyrwyr dychwelyd adfer a dod yn ôl i’r brifysgol dros y Nadolig, a gyda myfyrwyr ar draws Prydain i gyd yn astudio yng Nghaerdydd mae risg bod myfyrwyr yn cario’r feirws gyda nhw.

Wrth ystyried bod y llywodraeth wedi creu cynlluniau ar gyfer myfyrwyr, pam nad ydynt wedi gosod myfyrwyr yn uwch ar y rhestr. Heb amau, mae pobl ifanc wedi bod yn darged hawdd yn ystod y pandemig am dorri rheolau a dim gwrando ar gyfyngiadau’r llywodraeth, felly os ydynt yn broblem, pam ddim eu brechu?

Yn amlwg, ond barn pobl yw hyn, ac mae’r llywodraeth wedi bod yn wyliadwrus wrth gynllunio’r rhestr brechu.

Pobl hŷn ein gwlad sydd gyda’r risg mwyaf o ddioddef symptomau’r feirws yn ddifrifol, ac felly eu hamddiffyn dylai fod y brif flaenoriaeth. Wrth i’r broses brechu digwydd, bydd dal angen i ni gadw at y cyfyngiadau gosodwyd gan y llywodraeth, er mwyn cadw pawb yn ddiogel.

Mae’r cynllun wedi rhoi yn ei le, mae’r brechlynnau yn cyrraedd tirwedd Cymru ac mae gobaith wedi ymddangos, mae’n edrych fel bod yr haul o’r diwedd wedi dod ar y bryn. Ond bydd dal angen i ni gadw at y cyfyngiadau, nid broses byr yw hwn.

TAF-OD 9 ADDYSG Rygbi: AdoEffaith y pandemig ar gydraddoldeb rhyw lygiad o gemau’r HyBeth yw effaith y pandemig COVID-19 ar gydraddoldeb rhyw? dref Cymru Nel Richards Golygydd Taf-od

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rth i filiynau o bobl aros adref dros gyfnodau clo bydeang sydd wedi digwydd, mae astudiaethau wedi dangos fod menywod yn gwneud mwy o waith didal o fewn y cartref; a ydym yn camu yn ôl yn lle sicrhau cyfartaledd hafal rhwng y rhywiau?

Cam yn ôl i ferched?

Yn ôl data newydd gan UN Women, all effeithiau’r coronafeirws ddifetha 25 mlynedd o gynnydd o fewn cydraddoldeb rhywiol.

Mae menywod yn gwneud mwy o waith yn y cartref, tasgau domestig a gofal teuluol o ganlyniad i oblygiadau’r pandemig, a phawb yn aros adref.

Mae dirprwy swyddog gweithredu UN Women, Anita Bhatia, wedi datgan i’r BBC fod, ‘Risg o ddychwelyd yn ôl i stereoteipiau rhyw y 1950au’.

Mae cyfleoedd cyflogadwyedd ac addysg o dan fygythiad o gael eu colli, yn ychwanegol i ddioddefaint iechyd meddwl a corfforol gwael.

Hyd yn oed cyn y pandemig, am-

Effaith y pandemig ar gydraddoldeb: Tarddiad: Garry Knight (trwy The Carroll News) cangyfrifwyd bod menywod yn gwneud tua thri chwarter o’r 16 biliwn awr o waith di-dâl sy’n cael ei wneud bob dydd ledled y byd.

Cyn y coronafirws, am bob awr o waith di-dâl a wneir gan ddynion, roedd menywod yn gwneud tair awr.

Nawr mae’r ffigur hwnnw’n uwch.

Dywedodd Ms Bhatia mewn cyfweliad a’r BBC; ‘Ym mis Medi yn unig, yn yr UD, fe wnaeth rhywbeth fel 865,000 o ferched

adael y llafurlu o’i gymharu â 200,000 o ddynion, a gellir esbonio’r rhan fwyaf o hynny gan y ffaith bod baich gofal a does neb arall o gwmpas.’

Mae Menywod y Cenhedloedd Unedig yn rhybuddio y bydd effaith cryfach o gael llai o fenywod sy’n gweithio, yn enbyd - nid yn unig ar les menywod ond ar eu cynnydd economaidd a’u hannibyniaeth.

Di-dâl a thanbrisio Mae gwaith di-dâl menywod yn

aml yn talu cost gofal sy’n cynnal teuluoedd, yn cefnogi’r economi ac yn llenwi am ddiffyg gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, ond anaml y caiff ei gydnabod yn swyddogol fel gwaith.

“Mae’r pandemig wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith mai gwaith di-dâl fu’r rhwyd ddiogelwch ​​ gymdeithasol i’r byd mewn gwirionedd a’i gwneud yn bosibl i eraill fynd allan ac ennill incwm cynhyrchiol, gan rwystro cyfleoedd twf a chyfleoedd cyflogaeth y menywod hynny sy’n cario’r baich gofal. “ Dywedodd Ms Bhatia i’r BBC. Bydd menywod sy’n gwneud y rhan fwyaf o waith di-dâl naill ai’n cael llai o amser i ymgymryd â llafur â thâl, neu weithio oriau hirach, ac yn aml yn wynebu ansicrwydd ariannol y naill ffordd neu’r llall.

“Ni allwch danlinellu digon pa mor fawr yw’r broblem a pha mor fawr o effaith y bydd yn ei chael os na fydd llywodraethau a busnesau yn gwneud rhywbeth,” meddai Ms Bhatia.

Mae’r Cenhedloedd Unedig yn galw ar lywodraethau a busnesau i weithredu mesurau fel absenoldeb teulu ychwanegol, neu absenoldeb â thâl ychwanegol, gan bwyso i gadw canolfannau gofal plant ar agor.

DIWYLLIANT

Diwedd cyfnod i Seren Cymru a’r Goleuad Aled Biston

Pennaeth Taf-od

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ae Seren Cymru, wythnosolyn y Bedyddwyr yng Nghymru, wedi cael ei argraffu am y tro olaf ac ym mis Mawrth blwyddyn nesaf, bydd y Goleuad, papur y Presbyteriaid, yn dod i ben wrth i’r ddau bapur uno i fod yn bapur wythnosol digidol yn unig. Fe fydd Y Tyst, wythnosolyn yr Annibynwyr, yn parhau i gael ei argraffu ac mae enwad yr Annibynwyr wedi dewis peidio bod yn rhan o’r fenter newydd. Ond beth mae hyn yn ei olygu i bapurau crefyddol print?

Yn sicr, ni fyddai Seren Cymru a’r Goleuad wedi symud i fod yn ddigidol os nad oeddent yn gwynebu problemau yn y ffurf brintiedig, felly pam bod Y Tyst wedi penderfynu parhau yn brint yn lle ymuno’n ddigidol â’r papurau eraill?

Dywedodd golygydd Y Tyst, Alun Tudur wrth BBC Cymru Fyw “nad oedd ychydig o dudalennau yn ddigon i adlewyrchu bywyd y 400 o eglwysi sydd yn Undeb yr Annibynwyr… Rydan ni yn derbyn digonedd o ddeunydd

Diwedd cyfnod: Bydd y papurau newydd gan Y Seren a’r Goleuad yn digidol.

Tarddiad: David Hawgood (drwy Geograph) ar gyfer y papur yn wythnosol ar hyn o bryd”.

Does yna ddim enw hyd yma i’r papur digidol newydd ac fe fydd yn cael ei olygu gan Watcyn James, Huw Powell-Davies ac Aled Davies. Mae Aled Davies yn olygydd Seren Cymru ar hyn o bryd, dywedodd ef ei fod wedi calonogi yw awydd pobl i weld wythnosolyn Cristnogol Cymraeg yn hytrach na bod pwyslais ar enw. Mae’n cydnabod efallai bydd y papur yn colli rhai darllenwyr oherwydd golli’r elfen brint, ond mae’n gobeithio bydd darllenwyr newydd wrth i’r papur fod yn un gall

apelio at y cyfryngau cymdeithasol.

Ond mae gan Alun Tudur gweledigaeth digon tebyg ar gyfer Y Tyst, nid yw ef yn gweld Y Tyst fel rhywbeth enwadol, ond yn hytrach yn gyfrwng i adlewyrchu bywyd yr eglwysi. Cred hefyd bod y mwy o wefannau Cristnogol sydd ar gael trwy’r cyfryngau, mwyaf bydd y cyfle i rannu neges yr efengyl yn y Gymraeg.

Mae dylanwad y papurau enwadol yma yn enfawr, a dyna farn y newyddiadurwr Dylan Iorwerth hefyd, mae’r papurau yn mynd yn ôl ddwy ganrif ac roedden nhw ymhlith y cyhoeddiadau

cyntaf trwy’r iaith Gymraeg. Yn ogystal â’i rôl ym mywyd crefyddol, roeddent yn allweddol wrth drawsnewid a chyflwyno cysyniadau eu dydd.

Roeddent yn rhan o’r frwydr dros ddemocratiaeth, dymchwel y degwm a datgysylltu Eglwys Loegr yng Nghymru, roeddent yn chwarae rôl hollbwysig o fewn cymdeithas fel ffynhonnell gwybodaeth a chysyniadau ymoleuedig. Er bod rôl gymdeithasol yr eglwys ddim mor amlwg yn y cyfnod presennol, mae’r papurau yma wedi bod yn ganolbwynt cymdeithasol dros y blynyddoedd, a braf yw eu gweld nhw’n parhau.

Mae disgwyl y bydd uno Seren Cymru â’r Goleuad a pheidio cyhoeddi mewn print yn lleihau costau yn sylweddol. Mae hyn yn ddatblygiad pwysig a chyffrous, ond gyda’r un deinamig a’r papurau print, ond mewn ffurf ddigidol. Efallai bod un drws wedi cau ym myd newyddiaduraeth print, ond wrth i honno cau, mae drysau newydd yn agor. Mae gan y papur digidol hwn cyfle i gychwyn pennod newydd, a chyrraedd cynulleidfa ehangach wrth wneud hynny.

Cyhoeddi grŵp gemau cymhwyso Cwpan y Byd Aled Biston

Pennaeth Taf-od

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ae grŵp Cymru ar gyfer gemau cymhwyso Cwpan y Byd wedi cael ei gyhoeddi.

Wrth iddynt herio am le yn Qatar yn 2022, bydd Cymru mewn grŵp gyda Gwlad Belg, Y Weriniaeth Tsiec, Belarws ac Estonia.

Roedd Cymru yn yr ail botyn, ar ôl iddynt gofi i’r 18fed safle yn safleoedd swyddogol FIFA. Bydd y gemau yn cael eu chwarae o fis Mawrth 2021 hyd at Dachwedd.

Bydd enillwyr y grŵp yn cymhwyso ar gyfer y twrnament yn 2022 a bydd

2 o enillwyr gorau Cwpan y Cenhedloedd UEFA yn ymuno gyda’r timau daeth yn ail yn y grwpiau hynny.

Mae’n sicr bod Cymru’n rhan o grŵp cystadleuol, ond mae’n siwr bod o grwp yn un bydd Cymru’n debygol o deimlo’n hyderus amdano.

Os na fydd Cymru yn cymhwyso o’r grŵp, maen nhw eisoes bron yn sicr o dderbyn le yn y gemau ail-gyfle, gan eu bod nhw wedi, erbyn hyn, ennill dyrchafiad yng Nghynghrair y Cenhedloedd.

Bydd Cymru yn sicr o edrych ymlaen at y gêm yn erbyn Gwlad Belg, tîm sydd yn safle cyntaf safleoedd y byd FIFA, a thîm wnaeth Cymru curo 3-1 yn EWRO 2016.

Mae’r Weriniaeth Tsiec mynd i fod yn anodd i guro yn ogystal â Gwlad Belg.

Curodd Y Weriniaeth Tsiec Lloegr llynedd yng nghemau cymhwysol EWRO 2020, felly ni fyddent yn wrthwynebwyr hawdd o bell ffordd o ganlyniad.

Mae Belarus ac Estonia hefyd yn timoedd dda, wedi’i ddangos fel y goreuon yn eu potiau nhw’n benodol, mae hynny’n sicr.

Ni fydd y grŵp hwn yn hawdd i Gymru, felly bydd angen iddynt fod ar eu gorau os ydynt am sicrhau lle yn Qatar ar gyfer 2022.

Dywedodd Robert Page, rheolwr dros-dro i dim Cymru wrth Golwg 360

mai “Gwlad Belg yw’r tîm sy’n sefyll allan ar unwaith… hoffwn feddwl y byddan nhw’n edrych arnom ni fel cenedl sy’n symud ymlaen.

“Byddan nhw’n gwbl ymwybodol o’n canlyniadau a byddan nhw’n edrych arnom ni gydag ychydig mwy o barch efallai… “(ond) mae’n rhaid i ni ddangos yr un parch i bob tîm, boed yn Estonia, Belarus neu Wlad Belg”.

Yn sicr, bydd cefnogwyr Cymru yn hyderus i gymhwyso o’r grŵp hwn, yn enwedig ar ôl perfformiadau diweddar tim Cymru.

Mae yna deimlad o obaith a hyder ymysg y briciau yn y Wal Goch ar hyn o bryd.

Owain ap Myrddin Cyfrannwr

S

iomedig yw’r unig air i ddisgrifio perfformiadau tîm rygbi Cymru yr Hydref hwn.

Roedd gobaith am ffordd newydd o chwarae, gobaith am Gymru’n sgorio ceisiau a gobaith am berfformiadau gwell yn dilyn chwe gwlad siomedig iawn dechrau’r flwyddyn.

Ond yn anffodus mwy o berfformiadau siomedig ddaeth gan Gymru gyda’r pwysau’n cynyddu ar swydd Wayne Pivac.

Collodd Gymru i Ffrainc i ddechrau gyda perfformiad gweddol wrth i Gymru aros yn y gêm tan y chwarter olaf. Er hyn fflat iawn oedd Cymru ar y cyfan gyda blaenwyr cryf Ffrainc yn cyfuno’n gampus â’u cefnwyr i sgorio ceisiau gwych o bob man ar y cae.

Perfformiad llawer yn salach oedd yna yn erbyn Yr Alban ac Iwerddon. Gemau diflas iawn oedd rhain i’w gwylio o safbwynt Cymru gyda’r tîm yn edrych fel eu bod yn sownd rhwng dwy arddull o chwarae.

Mae hyn yn gwbwl ddealladwy gan fod y mwyafrif o’r tîm yn rai o hen ffefrynnau Gatland ac wedi arfer chwarae oddi tano am flynyddoedd.

Daeth ysbryd newydd yn erbyn Georgia wrth i dîm ifanc iawn gael y cyfle i chwarae.

Da oedd gweld Louis Rees-Zammit, James Botham a Ioan Lloyd yn dechrau eu gemau cyntaf dros eu gwlad.

Er hyn siomedig eto oedd y perfformiad gyda adegau diflas iawn o’r gêm. Diflas hefyd oedd Cymru yn erbyn Lloegr ond roedd y sgôr terfynol yn un weddol barchus.

Er hyn mae’n rhaid dweud fod hynny i lawr i berfformiad siomedig gan Loegr yn hytrach nag un da gan Gymru.

Bu diweddglo addawol i’r Hydref wrth i Gymru guro’r Eidal yn eithaf cyfforddus yn y diwedd.

Er hyn, wrth gymharu lle’r oedd Cymru flwyddyn ynghynt mae hi’n anodd iawn gweld yr ochr dda o’r sefyllfa.

Mewn blwyddyn mae Cymru wedi gostwng o fod yn bedwerydd yn y Byd i fod yn Nawfed sydd ddim yn argoeli’n dda ar gyfer y Chwe Gwlad ymhen chwe wythnos.

Da oedd gweld cymaint o gapiau newydd y flwyddyn hon, gyda un ar ddeg i gyd yn 2020. Roedd adegau hefyd o chwarae cyffrous gan ddangos beth allai’r tîm hwn ei gyflawni.

Y prif darged i Gymru yn y Chwe Gwlad yw i gael y blaenwyr i chwarae fel uned er mwyn rhoi’r cyfle i’r cefnwyr ifanc a chyflym hyn sydd gan Gymru i ddangos eu doniau.

Rhaid i’r amddiffyn fod o safon uwch hefyd yn enwedig mewn gemau llawn tensiwn fel y mae rhai’r Chwe Gwlad fel arfer.

Trist yw gweld Cymru gymaint y tu ôl i Loegr, Ffrainc ac Iwerddon o ran safon yr Hydref hwn.

Ond mae gobaith a hyder yn yr hogiau ifanc hyn ac rwy’n ffyddiog y bydd perfformiadau a safon y rygbi’n uwch yn Chwefror a Mawrth.

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POLITICS

YOUR Neil McEvoy handed Senedd suspension POLITICS DESK T The MS has been handed a suspension following an investigation into an “aggressive” incident.

Morgan Perry Politics Editor

he sole MS for the Wales National Party was involved in an incident with Labour MS Nick Antoniw, where McEvoy was described as having been “physically and verbally aggressive”.

The case was heard in front of the Senedd’s standards committee, who ruled that McEvoy’s conduct

constituted a “severe breach” of the Senedd’s code of conduct.

One witness said that McEvoy “appeared to be struggling to retain his composure. I did not know what he would do next.”

“It looked as though Neil was going to punch Mick. I have never seen anyone so angry,” another added.

As a result of the ruling, McEvoy has been suspended until January 2021, during which time he will not be permitted to enter the Senedd es-

Hallum Cowell

Tom Kingsbury

The Senedd: Neil McEvoy, Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central has been suspended from the Senedd following a confrontation with a Labour MS. Source: Rosser1954 (via. Wikimedia Commons)

Politics Editor

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Morgan Perry politics@gairrhydd.com

then Plaid Cymru.

Before being elected to the Senedd, McEvoy reportedly described the domestic violence support charity, Welsh Women’s Aid, as “publicly funded child abuse”.

His Senedd career hasn’t been without controversy, either.

The politician was expelled from the Plaid Cymru group in the Senedd in 2018 after undermining the party on council housing policy.

After being suspended from the party, McEvoy created a breakaway, nationalist party, the Wales National Party.

He maintains that he’ll contest seats at the 2021 Senedd elections, though the latest polling suggests that the party isn’t likely to pick up any seats.

The remaining members of the Senedd voted on Wednesday, December 9 to uphold the ban, upon which the member will be suspended for three weeks, the longest ban in history.

McEvoy himself rejects the outcome of the hearing.

He told the BBC: “It’s no surprise to me that the first Welsh-born person of colour is being given the longest ban in Senedd history for saying a few choice words to a Labour politician. “They are gutless Red Tories,” he claimed.

Welsh Government sets out vaccination plan Tom Kingsbury

Dewi Morris

tate and will have his salary cut.

The former standards commissioner, Sir Roderick Evans completed a review into McEvoy’s behaviour. His report was written prior to his resignation, which came in 2019 in light of covert recordings that were made by McEvoy in the Senedd.

The ruling by the committee follows Evans’ initial investigation into McEvoy’s behaviour.

“Descriptions of [Mr McEvoy’s] conduct reveal a level of aggression that would not be acceptable in licensed premises let alone in the National Assembly in front of members of staff and members of the public,” Evans wrote at the time.

At the time of his resignation, Evans said that “highly confidential conversations” with his staff had been recorded without his knowledge.

“That a member of our national assembly could behave in this way is wholly unacceptable. It undermines the integrity of the complaints procedure and brings our democratic process into disrepute.

“I’m not prepared to continue in my role as standards commissioner,” said Evans at the time of stepping down.

McEvoy was first elected to the Senedd in 2016, having stood for Plaid Cymru.

Prior to this, he was a councillor on Cardiff Council, first for Labour and

aughan Gething, Health Minister for Wales, has said the coronavirus vaccine could take months to fully distribute.

The government has split people by age group and degree of vulnerability in determining the order in which it will distribute the vaccine.

The first vaccines were given on December 8 to the top priority group; care home staff and residents. The Welsh Government said more than 1,700 people received vaccines, a day after 2,000 new cases were reported in Wales within a day, the first time this has happened in Wales.

This will be followed by those 80 and older, as well as social and health care workers.

From there the priority levels descend by age increments of five years up to 50, and also include the extremely vulnerable and those with

underlying conditions.

These priority groups make up 60% of Wales’ population, and should receive vaccines within the coming months.

The remainder of the population will be sorted into priority groups at a later date.

Gething asked people to avoid “going back to the old normal before the vaccine has given us the protection we need”.

NHS Wales will give recipients of the vaccine a vaccination card after their first dose, reminding them of the date for their second to be fully vaccinated.

Paul Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, called for a vaccines minister to be appointed in Wales to assure the best possible distribution of the vaccine.

The head of the UK government’s medicines regulatory agency has said that regardless of post-Brexit trade the vaccine will reach every-

COVID-19 vaccine: The much anticipated COVID-19 vaccine requires two injections, two weeks apart, to protect someone from the virus. Source: Bicanski (via. Pixnio)

Plaid Cymru call for independent inquiry into RCT flooding Dewi Morris

Politics Editor

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hondda Cynon Taf was a victim of repeated, severe flooding in past years, but in particular earlier this year, after storm Ciara, Dennis and Jorge left the valley flooded and caused devastating affects for many.

1500 homes and businesses were affected by the flooding with some houses left under 7ft of water.

Rhondda’s Plaid Cymru MS Leanne Wood said: “A public inquiry would untangle this confusion and get to the heart of what happened and what needs to happen to stand the best chance of preventing it from happening again.”

On Wednesday November 9, the Senedd discussed launching an inquiry into the handling of the incidents of flooding in Rhondd Cynon Taf, after 6000 people signed a petition calling for action by the Welsh Government.

Conservative MS Janet Finch-Saunders opened the discussion, telling the Senedd that “these are cross party matters that need addressing.”

MS Leanne Wood urged the Senedd to support the inquiry, after the impact the floods had on hundreds across the South Wales Valleys at the beginning of this year.

She reminded members that every MP from the Valleys had supported an inquiry into floods in England earlier this year.

She also reminded the Senedd that

Rhondda’s Labour MP Chris Bryant told ITV that an inquiry for Rhondda would be “just about the daftest idea I have heard.” Despite the fact that he had voted for an inquiry in England.

Pontypridd’s Plaid Cymru councillor, Heledd Fychan said: “A public inquiry... is the best way to ensure that the voices and experiences of victims are heard, to help inform how lives, homes and businesses can be safeguarded in the future.”

On November 25, Fychan put forward a motion to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, to back a public inquiry. This was voted against which Fychan called “completely hypocritical” Rhondda Cynon Taf Council leader, Labour councillor Anderw Morgan said: “a public inquiry would create

an unnecessary distraction from the work which is already underway on the ground.” He claimed: “A public inquiry would also come at significant expense – money which would be better spent protecting residents and communities against future severe weather events” Natural Resources Wales (NRW), which issues and manages forecasts, reviewed the flooding, and found that 12 flood warnings were missed and six were issued late. NRW claims that more investment in warning systems and community support is needed.

They also stated that “Householders and individuals also need to take a share of responsibility.”

A report by Pontypridd MS Mick Antoniw and MP Alex Davies-Jones

expressed that they are “very concerned that in conjunction with the Covid experience people have had a double whammy of trauma - there really is a need now to assess the mental wellbeing of communities.”

The report recommends the Welsh Government to offer funds for homeowners who cannot afford flood defences such as flood gates. It also recommends recruiting flood ambassadors who would ensure the community is prepared for floods, for example by ensuring a ready supply of sandbags. £1.6m has been given to the area to fund repair works. However, Plaid Cymru have also called for compensation for those affected.

The inquiry will be considered by the Senedd in the new year.

GWLEIDYDDIAETH 11 Brexit negotiations continue A year of political turmoil, economic uncertainty and diplomatic worries reviewed

2020: A year in review Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

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his year 2020 has perhaps not been the year many thought it would be.

With headlines dominated by COVID-19, lockdowns and Brexit it can be easy to miss other, equally important stories. Gair Rhydd takes a look at the most important events of the year.

January

The beginning of 2020 was no less turbulent than the rest of the year would be. Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general was killed in Baghdad by a US drone strike, sparking fears of increased international tension.

Just a day before large bushfires has begun to ravage the Australian outback and later. Later in the month, the US House of Representatives voted to send their impeachment articles against President Donald Trump to the Senate. Back home in the UK, on January 31, the UK officially left the European Union and began the transition period.

Febuary

Early in the month, the third case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Birmingham and continued to spread.

The American caucuses were underway to decide who would be the Presidential candidate for the Republicans and the Democrats. Later in the month, Palestine withdrew their request to the UN security council to discuss the people plan offered by the Trump Administration. Amid growing tension with the United States, the Venezuelan Government begun military exercises and drills. And, as the month drew to a close there were protests in India over new immigration laws which saw seven people killed; and the United States and the Taliban signed an agreement that could led to the end of the Afghan war.

March

March set the tone for what the rest of 2020 was to be like as lockdowns began to be enforced in European nations such as Italy, Spain, and the UK. Infamous Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was

sentenced to between five and 23 years in jail for first degree sexual assault.

The Israeli election saw incumbent President Benny Gantz remain as leader of the country as a myriad of Latin American nations impose their own COVID-19 restrictions.

Near the end of the month North Korea test-fires two missiles into the Sea of Japan, further escalating tensions in the region and UK Prime Minster Boris Johnson tests positive for COVID-19.

Contributor

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April

April began with a shake up of the UK Labour Party as Sir Keir Starmer replaced Jeremy Corbyn as leader following the party’s disastrous performance in the December 2019 election. The Queen also gave a rare broadcast to the UK and Commonwealth nations, which has only happened four times prior, to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Meanwhile, in Kashmir, three civilians are killed after sporadic fighting between India and Pakistan over who controls the contested region.

As the economic effects of the pandemic begin to be felt, Demark and Poland announce that they will not give stimulus money to companies who are registered in tax havens.

Near the end of the month, rumours that North Korea’s leader was dead were dispelled after he was seen visiting a fertilizer factory.

May

May would be the month of protests. Following the killing of George Floyd by US police, protests took place all over the world against police brutality and systemic racism protests would continue for months.

At the same time protests against lockdowns began popping up in cities around Europe and America, with arrests in London and Warsaw.

In Sarajevo, protestors gathered to oppose a mass held to remember Croatia’s Nazi-allied soldiers and civilians killed by partisans in the Second World War. In Hong Kong, China continued to oppose protestors, warning countries like the US that if they chose to continue backing the pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, China could start a new Cold War.

Black Lives Matter protests: Following the killing of George Floyd earlier in the year protests have been ongoing across the world against police brutality and systemic racism. Source: The All-Nite Images (via. Wikimedia Commons)

June

As protests continued in the United States as part of the Black Lives Matter movement, Donald Trump authorised economic and travel restrictions against members of the International Criminal Court who were investigating alleged American war crimes in Afghanistan. In a repeat of events earlier in the year, 22 Indian soldiers were killed during a border clash with China in the Ladakh region.

July

Russian President Vladimir Putin started the month by heading constitutional reform to allow him to extend his presidential term to 2036.

July 5 saw the Croatian Parliamentary election where the conservative Croatian Democratic Union won 66 of the 151 seats. Singapore also held their election, resulting in the incumbent People’s Action Party retained their majority with 83 of the 93 seats. Meanwhile in Turkey, the Hagia Sophia was converted from a museum to a Mosque. In Israel, thousands of people protested against the government’s handling of the economy during the pandemic. In the UK, the Russia Report was released, which detailed the influence Russia had had on UK elections and referendums.

August

This month again saw rising political tension as India warned that a conflict with China would be long fought as a Canadian military magazine publishes photos showing Chinese armed vehicles massing on the Indian border. In the US TikTok and WeChat are banned citing Chinese interference with the apps. A large accidental blast in Beirut shakes the country amid social unrest over government corruption, killing 190 people. In the former Soviet state of Belarus, protests gain momentum to topple the dictator Alexander Lukashenko.

Alexander Lukashenko: The Dictator of Belarus has led the nation since it broke away from the Soviet Union, this year he won his sxith term in controversal elections and protestors have been out in force. Source: Serge Serebro (via. Wikimedia Commons)

Monique Dyer

September

Protests in Hong Kong and Belarus continue as 72 people are arrested in the Eastern Europe nation

and 290 arrested in the Asian City State. As the month continued, the United States Army announced that the number of US troops in Iraq will be reduced by 5,200. Barbados announce their intention to remove Queen Elizabeth the second as the head of state and to become a republic. In Yemen, fighting continues after the end of the COVID-19 truce.

October

As the US election loomed near, Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. New Zealand held their general election, leading to incumbent Jacinda Ardern winning for the New Zealand Labour Party and retaining her position. The Government of Sudan signed a peace treaty with ten rebel groups, ending a 17year long war in the region. Amy Coney Barret was confirmed by the US Senate to the Supreme Court in the waning days of October, replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died in September.

November

The US held their election, with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris beating incumbent Donald Trump and Mike Pence. Across the pond, Dominic Cummings, seem by some MPs and analysists as the power behind Johnson’s government, left his role as chief advisor following the resignation of Lee Cain. The Tigray conflict in Ethiopia escalates and 25,000 refugees flee the region to Sudan. In the EU Hungry and Poland threaten to veto the 2021 EU budget and Iran’s most senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is assassinated outside Tehran.

December

The long awaited COVID-19 vaccine is approved by UK medical regulators and begins to be given to elderly groups across the country, in Russia the Sputnik-V vaccine begins to be rolled out despite not having finished clinical trials. In the 18th week of protests in Belarus 300 activists are arrested.

In Venezuela President Maduro wins the nation’s parliamentary election with 67/6% of the vote.

he trade talks between Britain and the EU are in their final days. Much has changed since the UK decided to leave the European Union in 2016. The trade negotiations have been filled with disagreements from the start and the future looks no more promising.

The UK-EU have until the 31 of December to sign and ratify a new trade deal before the Brexit transition period ends.

If Britain were to leave without a deal it could mean that the UK and EU would impose tariffs on eachothers goods, likely meaning an increase in the prices of common goods.

The main disagreements are currently based around fishing rights as well as business competition rules known as a ‘level playing field’.

The UK wants a right to self-determination stating that it’s waters and businesses should be under its own control since the point of Brexit was to break free from EU rules and regulations. They also disagree on how the Trade Agreement will be enforced such as how trade disputes will be resolved.

Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursala von der Leyen have had numerous phone calls within the past week and Boris Johnson has now met with Mrs von der Leyen in Brussels to work through the list of contentious issues.

This comes after talks between the UK chief negotiator Lord Frost and his EU counterpart Michel Barnier ended in a deadlock. The hope is that progress at the political level will help smooth the negotiation process.

While both sides claim to want to get a trade deal through, they are also stressing to businesses to be prepared for a realistic outcome of a no deal.

The Cabinet Officer Minister Penny Mordaunt told the House of Commons that “We are all working to get a deal, but the only way that’s possible is if it is compatible with our sovereignty”, she went on to explain that the UK would stop negotiations if the EU could not “find compromises”.

The European Commission has stated that they “are fully committed to substantial negotiations” and that they “have always said and continue to say it’s the substance that prevails over the timing”.

The good news is that in separate talks on Tuesday, the EU and the UK reached an agreement on the special trade arrangements for Northern Ireland. It includes post-brexit trading rules and border checks.

This has also meant that the UK has scrapped it’s bill which would have overridden some of it’s Brexit commitments which would have likely breached international law.

Many political commentators view a No Deal as a significant and even likely possibility. The disagreements on the trade deal are not simply about fishing or business rights but instead a clash of ideologies and international prestige. Thus, both are prepared to walk away from the talks if needed. If the two sides can reach an agreement the challenge will then be to get it passed through parliament quick enough.

12 POLITICS In other news India’s farmers stike over new agricultural laws Hallum Cowell Head of Politics

F Romania’s general election last Sunday saw a record low for voter turnout, at only 33%. The opposition party Social Democrats won the election with a slight lead over the governing National Liberal Party (NLP). However, it is expected the NLP will remain in power as it is likely to form a coalition. Alliance for Romanian Unity (AUR), a far-right populist party which was little known before this election, received 9% of the vote. AUR campaigned against coronavirus restrictions. Claudiu Tufis, an associate professor of political science at the University of Bucharest, warned “AUR in parliament will legitimise extremist positions in the public sphere.”

Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is having his taxes investigated by federal prosectuors in Delaware.

US media has reported that the investigation relates to his dealings with foreign nations such as China.

Hunter Biden has said he is confident that he would be shown to have done no wrong. Hunter Biden was the subject of controversy during the American Election campagin, with accusations of corruption, neopotism and tax evasion. Allegedly Hunter Biden took his laptop to get repaired at an IT shop and while the laptop was there it was taken into custody by the FBI. If this were true it could point to why this investigation is now taking place.

UK travelers could be barred from entering the EU from January 1 as a Brexit deal is still yet to be agreed.

Travel between the UK and EU is something that the Brexit deal will have to tackle and with the ever increasing prospect that the UK will leave the EU without a deal travel could be seriously affected. Additionally, food and drink suppliers have warned the UK government that they have not had time to stock up on products, as such they warn that a no-deal Brexit or any further disruption could erode the efficiency of the UKs supply chains. Ian Wright, the Food and Drink Federaton’s chief executive said “How on earth can traders prepare in this environment?” adding that there was a big concern that disruption would “erode the confidence of shoppers in the supply chain...It has done very well over Covid and shoppers will expect the same thing over Brexit, and they may not see it.”

armers and other workers are striking in India as the government attempts to push through the three farm laws.

Hundreds of thousands of farmers have blocked all roads into the

capital, Delhi, in addition to demonstrations on railway lines, highways and shutting down shops and services.

The farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have camped outside Delhi with police barricades blocking their entry into the city.

The strikers want the government to repeal the new agricultur-

Indian farmers: Nearly 40% of India’s population works in agriculture, for the last few week they have been striking over new laws the government hopes to bring them. Source: AKLESH MISHRA (via. Wikimedia Commons)

al laws which they say are making their jobs harder, and less economically viable to benefit large farming corporations.

The three laws in question are; The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The stikers have labled these laws as “anti-farmer”.

The Agricultural industry is a huge part of India’s economy, employing around 40% of the population.

Many of those who work in these sectors are often in poverty, India has one of the highest rates of farmer suicide in the world.

Over 450 of the country’s farmers unions have supported the general strike and are committed to repealing the laws, denying an offer from the government to amend them instead.

The laws were passed in September 2019, the Prime Minister of India; Narendra Modi, siad that they would reform an archaic and outdated system and the new laws would give farmers control over their crop prices.

The farmers responded with this general strike, they say that they were not consulted about the new law and that it would ruin their livelihoods.

The government has said that the benefits of the new law include; a Sub-Divisonal Magistrate will be set up to deal with any disputes be-

tween farmers, there will be no need for any kind of licene for traders to purchase agricultural produce of farmers in trade areas outside APMCs (agricultural produce market committee) which will allow more trade between farmers.

Farmers will also be able to sell their produce outside APMCs with no tax on these trades under the new governmental rules.

Farmers on the other hand have had serious misgivings with the news laws.

They argue that the laws are designed so that they are forced to sell their foodstuffs to corporations for less than they could sell them now.

The unions also argue that the news laws only benefit corporations.

The Guardian interviewed Kuldip Malana who had been participating in the strike. He said “Over the last 25 years, farmers have suffered and the government has not bothered about us, even when so many are committing suicide” Adding that “They have not provided cold storage for our crops to keep them fresh, so sometimes we have to sell our vegetables for 1 rupee. They have not give us enough water for our crops.”

“They have not thought about us for years, and suddenly they come up with reforms have nothing to do with helping the farmers and only benefit the big corporations. These laws are suicide for us all.”

The government has agreed to meet with the farmers in the near future, but the farmers are addiment that they will accept on comprismise on these laws

Nicolas Madura victorious in Venezuelan Elections boycotted by opposition Saihaj Jaspal Contributor

N

icolas Maduro has announced a victory in Venezuela’s legislative elections after they were boycotted by the main opposition parties due to allegations of corruption, aimed at Maduro’s Presidency and the electoral authorities.

The boycott was led by opposition leader Juan Guaido, speaker of the National Assembly, who, with support from the Assembly and a stipulation within the Venezuelan constitution, swore himself in as Interim President in January 2019.

The decision from the opposition to boycott the elections comes after Guaido’s claims that the elections would be “neither free nor fair” because the National Electoral Council is controlled by Maduro’s PSUV party (The United Socialist Party of Venezuela).

With over 80% of votes counted, Maduro’s coalition had 67.6% of the vote according to the National Electoral Council, voter turnout was recorded at only 31%.

However, Maduro’s party and his allies will now control the National Assembly which since 2015 has been in opposition hands.

This now gives Maduro complete control of Venezuela’s political institutions.The National Assembly is responsible for passing laws and approving Government budgets.

It is the only key political institution that Maduro does not control (Maduro’s government controls the

Nicolas Madura: Venezuela has announced its new President. Source: Fabio Rodrigues Pozzebom/ABr (via. Wikimedia Commons) judiciary, electoral authorities, and the military).

In the past few years, it has acted as the only vehicle in which government power is checked, but this will change when the new Maduro loyalist lawmakers are sworn in on 5 January 2021.

The chaos surrounding the Venezuelan political system reflects the nation’s current economic state.

Since Hugo Chavez first became President in 1999 twenty years of revolutionary socialist rule have gone by and Venezuela’s oncewealthy oil economy has collapsed.

The Venezuelan people are suffering acute shortages of water, fuel, and electricity. Inflation is at more than 6,000 per cent and the currency, the Bolívar, is virtually worthless.

This has led to the mass migration of Venezuelans to neighbouring

countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and many moving further South to Brazil.

According to figures compiled by the United Nations, more than 5 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014. However, the government disputed these figures and said that they had been inflated by “enemy countries”.

Venezuela’s political situation is not limited in its significance to the nation itself, or even South America. It continues to have a worldwide impact, with some nations supporting Nicolas Maduro and some backing Juan Guaido.

More than 50 states recognise Mr Guaidó as the legitimate president, among them the UK, US, and many nations in Latin America.

However, other states such as Russia, China, Turkey, and Cuba

have pledged their support to Maduro and his ruling party.

The contentious diplomatic relations between Maduro’s government and the US have caused significant damage to the country’s economy.

The US, which supports Mr Guaidó, imposed sanctions on Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela’s oil industry, making it increasingly difficult to get fuel.

The US sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector have crippled the key industry, which provides almost all of Venezuela’s government revenue.

The US Government’s stance on Maduro and the results of the election were highlighted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s tweets last Sunday. He said, “Venezuela’s electoral fraud has already been committed. The results announced by the illegitimate Maduro regime will not reflect the will of the Venezuelan people.

What’s happening today is a fraud and a sham, not an election.”

A sense of resignation lingers amongst the Venezuelan population. A lack of confidence in the political system that has failed them in the past few years. The low numbers of voters who turned out for the elections symbolise this disillusionment. Whilst Guaido has promised a fair popular consultation as an alternative to the elections, many do not believe that anything will come of it.

The elections that were hoped to offer some clarity over the future of Venezuela has offered nothing but added uncertainty.

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COMMENT

YOUR COMMENT DESK

Molly Govus

Sian Hopkins

Cerys Ann Jones

Izzy Morgan comment@gairrhydd.com

Should celebrities get harsher fines for breaking lockdown?

Megan Evans Advice Editor

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ita Ora, a famous icon within popular media and television, has been caught breaking the rules of lockdown for the second time. The newly turned 30-year-old flew to Egypt for a private performance, and upon returning, should’ve been isolating for two weeks.

However, she then decided to throw a lavish birthday party in London for her birthday, which goes against the lockdown rules, not only once but twice. It seems that celebrities are becoming more and more progressively out of touch with the responsibilities that they have as figures that people look up to, as during this COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of these influencers have broken the rules, as though they don’t apply to them.

The likes of Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa and Kendall Jenner have also been known to have attended larger gatherings, as depicted from social media.

The rules firmly stated to stay 2m distance away, to not meet up with people you do not live with, and hospitality to remain closed.

A thread of statements that were released via Ora, said ‘I should’ve followed government advice and isolated myself for the required period’. ‘The guilt and shame I’ve carried this week for my mistake aren’t worth it’.

Rita has responded to the criticism and backlash she has received and said she would donate her fee from the concert to charity. But is this really enough?

The Kensington and Chelsea Council have also denied that she paid the £10,000 fine over the party, despite it being labelled as a ‘small gathering’.

She also labelled the gathering as a ‘spur of the moment’ decision, but is this a justifiable reason?

These celebrities with such a large following, should not even dream of breaking the rules in such a defiant way.

We have had months of prolonged agony by not seeing family and friends, the rules restricting the way in which we live our lives and taking away the freedom to travel, but to then have pop stars

doing just those things, during a second lockdown, is quite unjust.

Rita Ora has not shied away from the mistakes that she had made, and publicly apologised on an Instagram story.

She has, however, already made that mistake once, so the likelihood that it can happen again if another lockdown were to happen, is concerning.

How many times can an apology justify the thousands working the frontline, the thousands that have recovered from COVID-19, and a figure that is in the limelight, needing to set an example for the future generations, to flout the rules?

Coronavirus seems to have impacted every person, no matter how little or how much money they have.

Many celebrities during the first lockdown shared their struggles with lockdown, including Sam Smith, Ellen DeGeneres and Madonna.

Kendall Jenner, an avid supporter of The Mental Health Coalition shared a video stating that she had done a lot of thinking, mostly about mental health, and the good and bad days fluctuating.

It is no shock that mental health has increased during these difficult times, but that again should never be a reason to break the rules, especially so publicly.

In a digital age where young people are constantly on their phones and achieving the penultimate high by sharing the highlights of their days, may increase the rate of people breaking the rules as this is seen as the only way to keep happy.

The use of negative role models can encourage anti-social behaviour, stereotypes and change values of opinion.

Rita breaking lockdown measures should be seen as a reason to keep to the guidelines, as not only has she been publicly shamed by the media, to a point where it is a little too far, but to prove that even those who feel invincible to rules, will suffer consequences.

It is all about the morality principle, where standards can change over time, but Rita is aware that her standards of behaviour will be judged by society, and hopefully, will be a reason where she won’t actively break the rules again.

The homelessness crisis: what more can be done?

Molly Govus

Comment Editor

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rom this month, the Home Office have allowed the removal of foreign rough sleepers from the UK. Even writing this statement is more than enough to make me worry, and saddened, for the attitude some hold towards the homeless in the UK. It still baffles me completely as to how it is not our duty as a nation to help those on the streets instead of turning a blind eye to the problem before us.

These changes to immigration rules will make rough sleeping grounds for removal for non-UK nationals. I feel like I have to state it again for it to really sink in. As you can probably tell, campaigners and charities are already beginning to fight against this legislation, and rightfully so.

141 charities, lawyers and local authorities wrote a letter to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, stating how the policy would have ‘severe consequences’ for confirmed, and potential survivors of modern slavery. This would also increase the number of cases where people are wrongly arrested, removed, and detained from the UK. These changes coming into play in the middle of a global pandemic cast a bitter shadow over the reality that many workers, including migrant workers, are being affected by the large-scale unemployment due to the economic downturn.

The letter concludes that: ‘In short, the rules punish rough sleeping, force people into riskier and exploitative situations to avoid it and are likely to put victims in a revolving door of abuse and revictimisation and at increased risk of detention and removal’.

It is at this point that I would frankly ask whether we have any sense of humanity left anymore as a nation, especially after the year we have all been through.

The harsh reality of the matter is, many of us are just one lost job or family crisis from losing our homes. One would think that our authorities would be relieving and helping, not adding, to the distress of the homeless and vulnerable within the UK. As daunting as this may all seem, there is a glimmer of hope that things may improve in the future.

There have been countless campaigns against the new legislation, but the London borough of Haringey, have decided to take an even bigger stand by actively not collaborating with this change of rules. For example, the borough of Haringey has been working partners to provide support and emergency accommodation for more than 800 rough-sleepers.

The ultimate truth of the matter is that more than 53% of rough sleepers in the south London of Southwark, from April to June, were foreign nationals. Bethan McGovern, of the Southwark Law Centre, explained how the legislation does more harm than good: ‘This could push people into the hands of those who would exploit them, including traffickers. In the coming months we are going to see lots of people who have never been on the streets before.’

It goes without saying that turning a blind eye is not the answer.

The homeless of our nation are human lives that deserve to be protected – the UK is supposed to be a place of camaraderie, but this new rule reveals anything but.

Source: JMSuarez (via. WikimediaCommons)

The Human Rights Act under review: a stealthy attack on the rights of the vulnerable?

Izzy Morgan

Comment Editor

T

he 1998 Human Rights Act which outlines our fundamental rights as citizens in the UK is arguably some of the most important legislation to ever be introduced in our history. It draws on the work originally done by British lawyers after the second world war and serves to incorporate some of the rights which are also detailed in the European Convention of Human Rights.

Whilst this might seem to be common sense and a vital part to democracy it is still subject, like any piece of legislation, to change if the governments deems it to be in need of reform.

The specific purpose of the review is said to be the inquiry into how ‘protections’ are being interpreted by the British judicial system. According to the government website the review will be focusing on the “relationship between the judiciary, executive and Parliament, and whether domestic courts are being unduly drawn into areas of policy” which essentially means whether judges in the UK are making decisions which are usually left up to policy approved by politicians. There are many things which are worrying for the public following this review which might not be taking the precedence needed in mainstream media.

The coronavirus pandemic has obviously dominated news coverage for several months nearing up to a year

with the news of its spread into other countries coming soon after Christmas last year. With this being the main focus of news outlets, things which usually might capture the attention of the public are likely to be lost in the constant updates of the pandemic.

With it being such an influential piece of legislation this review cannot be allowed to fall into the background in the news stream as the rights of individuals who might not have the power to alter these decisions once made are being put at risk.

There has been significant backlash from people who are in shadow government who are criticising the review before it has begun by saying it is an attack on the human rights of the citizens of the UK whilst the

public are distracted by the pandemic and that the focus should be shifted to ensure that the country is beating the pandemic and creating a safer society for life to return to normal. There are also concerns about the safety of asylum seekers residing in the UK and their legal protections as well as other vulnerable groups. An area of concern being article 8 of the ECHR which is the right to a private and family life which the European Court of Human Rights criticise the British judicial system for its interpretation of the article when it comes to asylum seekers.

Following this review, there will undoubtedly be change to the way the act is interpreted by British courts but who this will favour is still unclear.

Such a review could pose serious

threats to citizens’ rights especially with huge political changes coming in the near future such as Brexit in January 2021. The news of this review should not be buried and if the public are to hold this review board to account it shouldn’t be taking place at a time when public concern is distracted with the pandemic and adjusting to a completely different way of living.

If this is truly in the interest of the British public then it should reviewed at an appropriate time instead of seemingly taking advantage of the distraction of the public to further political agenda in regards to such a vital piece of legislation when the people who it will directly affect have already suffered at the hands of mismanagement this year.

SYLWADAU Scotland become the first nation to provide free sanitary products The question remains: when will other countries follow in their footsteps?

Cerys Ann Jones Comment Editor

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he ubiquitous presence of period poverty within global society impacts the hygienic health of up to 500 million females, increasing possibilities for the systematic exclusion of the sex from varying experiences of crucial importance, such as education and workplace opportunities. Period poverty refers to the lack of access to sanitary products consequent to financial constraints. A survey conducted by Plan International UK representative of 1,000 girls and young women aged 14-21 found that within Britain, 1 in 10 girls cannot afford to purchase menstrual products, while 1 in 7 has struggled with their affordability.

The limited availability of access to safe and hygienic-sanitary products may generate profound consequences, particularly on female education. The research discovered that 49% of girls have missed an entire day of school as a consequence of period poverty.

Throughout a year, 137,700 children within the UK do not attend schooling facilities because of period poverty. Following the unanimous approval of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill introduced by Labour MSP Monica Lennon, Scotland has become the first country in the world to ensure that period products are provided free of charge.

The legislation means that there is a henceforth legal duty placed on local authorities to ensure that essential sanitary products such as tampons and sanitary pads are readily available at no cost to “anyone who needs them”. The Scottish Government supported the bill despite previously opposing it consequent to “significant and very real concerns” regarding how it would work. They proposed significant amendments to the bill as it proceeded through parliament, resulting in it now being backed by all parties at Holyrood.

The legislation will be the responsibility of Scotland’s 32 councils, of whom will determine what practical arrangements are introduced, providing that they supply inclusive access to varying types of menstrual products “reasonably easily” and with “reasonable dignity”.

The bill states that ministers can place a duty on other “specified public

service bodies” to dispense free period products in the future.

Lennon, who has been campaigning to end period poverty since 2016 stated that the bill was a “practical and progressive” piece of legislation made increasingly vital parallel to the coronavirus pandemic. She added, “Periods don’t stop for pandemics and the work to improve access to essential tampons, pads and reusables has never been more important”. Coinciding with period poverty, the bill will combat the existing stigma encompassing periods and period poverty. The global menstruation stigma derives from the lack of education available regarding the topic matter, cultural taboos, discrimination, and the silence surrounding period poverty. Researchers found that 71% of females aged between 14-21 felt embarrassed when purchasing sanitary products.

The bill additionally states the legal obligation of education facilities, namely schools, colleges, and universities to provide free menstrual products to their students. Despite the duty being stated within the bill, the free provision of sanitary products is already occurring. Scotland was the first country in the world to ensure the availability of free period products within educative facilities, but the bill will ensure its continuity.

The Scottish Government supplied £5.2 million to support the initiative, with £0.5 million being awarded to the charity FareShare to deliver products to low-income households. An additional £4 million was provided to councils to expand the provision to other public places, with a further £50,000 for the supply of free sanitary products in sports clubs. Scotland’s extensive efforts to combat period poverty poses the query of whether other countries are making substantial strides to support those who cannot financially afford these essential products.

The British government has its own period poverty taskforce with the central objective of battling the stigma and education encompassing periods.

Despite the credible efforts made by parliament to ensure the provision of free period products in all primary and secondary schools in England in July, there is a notable distance remaining in the journey of tackling period poverty. #PeriodPovertySirGâr is a campaign scheme that ensures that females are provided with adequate sanitary pro-

‘A historical step in the fight’ Beth Williams Contributor

S

cotland becoming the first country in the world to offer free period products is definitely a historical step in the fight against period poverty.

It will have a dramatic effect on young girls and women who would otherwise have to put their lives on hold once a month because they don’t have the financial means to facilitate their periods.

Although schools and universities in the country have offered free sanitary products for a while, this step will mean that all women, not just students, will have access to them.

It’s seen as embarrassing to publicly discuss periods which might explain why it’s taken till recent years for period poverty to be addressed.

The lack of education surrounding periods leads to the shaping of misunderstanding about them. This was

proven recently when a supermarket in South Wales refused to sell period products to a customer during the second lockdown due to them being considered a luxury good. Periods should be taught as part of the school curriculum and not exclusively to girls.

Not informing boys only contributes to the stigma and the uncomfortableness of the topic’s discussion and why some girls might feel embarrassed to ask their local council for free sanitary products.

It’s unbelievable that not only do most countries not offer free sanitary products, but they charge tax on them as they are classed as “non-essential”.

Scotland’s historical first is something that every country should mirror. Unfortunately, most countries still don’t acknowledge the existence of periods and must firstly educate themselves as well as break the stigma of periods that wrongfully influence public understanding.

15

COVID-19: spending Christmas alone Sian Hopkins Comment Editor

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A basic human right: thousands of girls and women are left without access to period products regularly.

Source: Wolfmann (via. WikimediaCommons) tection free of charge within the county of Carmarthenshire. Through the provision of sanitary product boxes to primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and youth clubs to 177,760 females within the county, the campaign ensures that female education is not compromised consequent to period poverty.

A spokesperson from the project stated: “It is heart-breaking to hear stories about where girls are missing out on education due to not having sufficient protection whilst on their period so it is clear something needs to be done. I hope that this project does make a difference within Carmarthenshire so we can come one step closer to ending period poverty once and for all”. #PeriodPovertySirGâr is funded by the Welsh Government, of whom allocate Carmarthenshire council £150,000 per year to cover the menstrual needs of primary and secondary school students within Carmarthenshire. The campaign has received significant support from the county’s community, including major national retailer, The Body Shop Carmarthen. The business agreed to stock free sanitary products within their store, thus ensuring that they are accessible to females outside of schooling hours.

Abigail Williams, the store manager at The Body Shop Carmarthen stated: “When we found out that the statistics that 1 in 10 girls in the UK don’t have access to these products, we were

shocked and wanted to do something to help”.

Leading members of #PeriodPovertySirGâr stated: “It is amazing that The Body Shop in Carmarthen want to keep our box of free products and a supply of free sanitary protection in store for young girls to collect, especially outside of school hours. This is a massive step in the right direction for tackling period poverty within the county”. Carmarthenshire’s Period Poverty Champion, Clir Mair Stephens said “A lot of young women rely on these free products and we’ve been making sure that they haven’t gone without throughout lockdown by posting them out or by doing home deliveries”.

Scotland has provided an adequate framework for all governing bodies through the success of their legislation to ensure that period products are provided free from charge. Natural bodily functions that cannot be helped should not create a financial burden for those who derive from lower-income households, therefore, initiatives must be taken more seriously to ensure the termination period poverty on a larger scale. Local efforts are a positive movement in the correct direction, yet, a larger change must occur from influential political characters to ensure that complete fairness is achieved.

‘A significant improvement’ Emily Bryant Contributor

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cotland’s new ruling on the pricings of sanitary products has swept the nation in recent weeks.

This landmark ruling marks the end of a four year campaign on the subject, headed by Scottish Labour’s Monica Lennon. The decision surprised me somewhat.

Having spent countless sums of money in my life on packets of pads and tampons, it hadn’t occurred to me that such costs could be lifted so quickly.

It’s £8.7 million budget was quite remarkable to me; considering the total supplementary budget for health and social services in Wales are predicted to be approximately £10 million total, it is a substantial amount being put towards such a project. All things considered, such a ruling should prove to be a sig-

nificant improvement for the women and girls of Scotland. With its goal of trying to reduce ‘period poverty’ due to COVID-19, young women across the nation could save hundreds if not thousands of pounds in their lifetimes.

Having access to them in schools, I believe, will also help reduce the stigma surrounding menstruation.

If adolescents of all genders had the same access to period products as they did to condoms, it could increase discussions around the topic and it could become normalised within society.

Scottish Parliament’s verdict on this topic has provided me with a level of hope that other governments will follow suit.

The coming change in England and Wales in 2021 presents the possibility, but we have yet to see it develop beyond that. Perhaps, one day soon, we will be celebrating the change within our own country.

his last week has seen almost all university students returning from their student accommodation and houses, back to their homes for Christmas. The British Government gave the window of time from the beginning to the 9th of December to reduce the prolonged risk of students taking COVID-19 back to their families.

However, this is not the case for every student. Whether because of coronavirus or conditions that mean their student accommodation is their permanent home, there are students who will be spending Christmas on their own this year.

For many international students, returning home for Christmas is a far off fantasy. Those who have travelled overseas to attend university within the UK have found themselves without the option to travel back for the festive period.

Many international students do not want to risk catching COVID-19 on public transport; whether that is by aeroplane or train, the risk is too great for them to catch the virus and transmit it back to their families. The Guardian recently did an article, interviewing several students who are unable to return home, despite university offering COVID-19 testing.

One Student, Msue Chiponda, cannot get home in time for Christmas in Lake Malawi due to an online exam that requires her to need access to better internet connection than she possesses at home. Anna Fazackerley comments: ‘Owing to the unreliable internet connection in Malawi, she needs to stay in Nottingham for her last online exam on 14 December, which means her two weeks’ quarantine on arriving home would run into Christmas. With many flights being cancelled at short notice, she is also worried she may find herself stranded in Dubai or Ethiopia with no connecting flight home.’

Msue has commented that she has already found her university experience to be rather a lonely one, due to coronavirus pausing any work placements and missing out on face-to-face classes.

This disappointment at the university experience this year is not uncommon, as Express and Star found: ‘Nearly three in 10 university students are not happy with the academic experience on offer this term’, with more than half being dissatisfied with their social lives and experience on campus. Many students linked their dissatisfaction with little support for a decline in their mental health, so what are the universities planning on implementing for those students who are left by themselves over Christmas? Certain universities, like York and Nottingham, have released information about the support and access that will be given to remaining students.

Nottingham are opening all their student hubs, which include study rooms and food access and finalising ideas for a Christmas and New Year’s eve meal. An analyst within York University, Chris Hoyle, has also raised around £6000 to donate to buy Christmas presents for students and care leavers, who are estranged from their families and permanently live in their student accommodation.

It is vital to remember those students who do not have this opportunity. It is important that universities do the best they can to offer support for the students’ mental health and so they can still get some enjoyment from the Christmas season.

16

ADVICE

YOUR How to stop Christmas disappointment What can you do to avoid feelings of sadness about events surrounding Christmas?

ADVICE DESK T Vicky Witts

Head of Advice

Vicky Witts

Megan Evans advice@gairrhydd.com

Taking time to prepare for next semester Vicky Witts

Head of Advice

T

he Christmas holidays are often a great time to relax before returning to the stress of university. However, it can also give you a change to prepare yourself for returning for the next semester.

Looking back at old work It may be useful to spend some of the free time that you gain over the Christmas break to improve your essay writing by looking back at previous essays and assessments that you have done this year and make a list of things that you would like to improve in your next assessments, whenever they may be.

Consider new techniques Christmas can also give you an opportunity to prepare to try something new on your return to your studies. For example, you could watch videos on new study techiques such as making planners or using a new revision method which you may be able to implement upon your return to studies.

Getting organised In a more general sense, the time off for Christmas may just give you a chance to get organised with your work from last semester. Whether it is catching up on reading or finishing writing up lecture notes that you never got around to doing, just a small amount of time taken during the holidays to focus on catching up can put you back on track for next year. Getting ahead now may help you feel more prepared later.

he Christmas period is often a time for much excitement and celebration as we anticipate Christmas Day and all the festive things that we have learned to associate with it. However, with all this suspense and anticipation can often come disappointment as the day does not live up to what we wanted it to be.

Learning to manage this disappointment is important therefore, to be better able to find enjoyment in the winter months.

Do not expect too much A key reason that many people feel underwhelmed when Christmas finally arrives is that they are expecting too much from the day. Whilst the big festive gatherings that you see on TV and in the movies might happen for some people, most of us do not usually enjoy Christmas on such an extravagant scale. This may be even more noticeable this year, as coronavirus restrictions mean that many people are having to reduce the scale of their New Year’s Eve and Christmas celebrations.

For this reason, it is important to not expect the huge gatherings that you see on tv and instead learn to appreciate and enjoy smaller, more subdued celebrations. This does not have to mean that your celebrations must be any less enjoyable however, as

you may be able to do more family focused activities such as watching festive films, playing games or just enjoying each other’s company with those that you live with, which you would not get to do at a large gathering or party.

This may allow you to be pleasantly surprised by any particularly enjoyable activities that you do and appreciate the smaller things that you may not have done previously.

Reflect on enjoyable moments It can often be the days following Christmas and New Year’s that seem the most depressing, as we reflect on how we did not get to do all the things that we had planned to on those days. However, reflecting on these days does not have to just be in a depressing and sombre way, as thinking about positive and enjoyable moments that you experienced can allow you to learn and make the Christmas season even more exciting next year.

Find things to distract you If you do not celebrate Christmas or have had a particularly unenjoyable festive period, it can be easy to look at other people enjoying themselves and start to feel depressed about how uneventful or unenjoyable your life currently seems to be.

In order to overcome this, it may be good to find distractions so that you create positive experiences for yourself rather than dwelling on the negative aspects

of the season or how you are not having the same experiences as those around you. For example, you may use December and January as a time to catch up on work, carry on with a hobby that you are particularly passionate about, or takes days off to go to different places and do different activities that you enjoy.

You could even create your own tradition, whether it is with your family, friends or just by yourself, so that you have something to look forward to every year whilst others look forward to Christmas.

View the New Year as a new start Ultimately, it may be the case

that you struggle to overcome the feelings of sadness and depression that you associate with the festive period for any variety of reasons and would prefer to completely ignore the holiday rather than try and enjoy small aspects of it. In this case it may be beneficial to view the New Year as a new start.

Being optimistic and viewing the turn of the New Year as the beginning of a fresh start means that you may be able to view Christmas and the surrounding time in a more positive light, as it is just the build up and a time for reflection before you get to begin a new year which is hopefully more positive and exciting for you.

Christmas Blues: With a build-up lasting months, Christmas can begin to feel underwhelming to many. Source: PublicDomainPictures (via: Pixabay)

Beating procrastination over Christmas Megan Evans Advice Editor

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here is no surprise to us, that this time of the year is the most hectic out of the whole year as a university student.

With the pandemic also requiring us to return home a fraction earlier than usual times, it seems that work and the stresses of returning home from a completely different environment, may have an impact on your work.

A psychologist researcher, Piers Steel, conducted a meta-analysis of all the research on procrastination which discovered that we procrastinate when we have a low expectation of reward or success, such as being prepared less than we should, when there isn’t an immediate benefit from completing a task, when we are distracted and if the deadline is a lot further away than the immediate future.

There are more than a good handful of ways that can positively impact on your productivity, during a time where there are more unnecessary distractions.

Chunk out your work Never jump into the deep end when it comes to doing a large amount of work, as chances are, this can make you want to procrastinate even more. Make it look much more manageable, so if you have to write an essay, chunk out the introduction, extra reading, and outline the main points of your argument into separate sections, so you don’t feel completely overwhelmed. Doing bit by bit can really help you focus and you will also feel a bit better as you carry out the task of doing

Holiday procrastination: Research found that we are likely to procrastinate when there is a low chance of reward. Source: Rawpixel.com (via pxhere) the work.

Turn off notifications It is tempting to check your phone as soon as you hear it buzz.

The amount of time you spend on your phone when you check Screen Time is always quite terrifying. Minimising the amount of distractions that you have can improve productivity dramatically.

Even if this means deleting an app for a period of time, do it! You’ll feel better for it then by checking it constantly and then regretting it hours later when that time has gone and you still have the same amount of work to do.

Create a good study space and utilize it There is nothing worse than studying in a place that you already fear going to, whether that is the dreaded dining room table, or a messy bedroom. Make your space somewhere where you can proudly sit for hours on

end working at, not only by making it look aesthetically pleasing, but utilizing the space so the essentials are within reach, such as pens and pencils, or the books that you might be using for references. Also, make sure you have topped up water, or snacks so you haven’t got an excuse to walk into the kitchen 10 minutes in.

Allow for planned procrastination When you study, chances are random thoughts enter your head as you work, and can make you distracted from completing the task at hand. Your brain will always look forward to exciting tasks instead of those that aren’t, so can distract you. If you attempt to record those distractions, keep them close until you have finished what you need to do, and then look over it when you have a break.

Reward yourself

Self forgiveness according to studies, can help you feel more positive about yourself and reduce the likelihood of procrastination. When you have a mammoth task to get on with, reward yourself by doing something you really want to do, whether that be an extra episode of your favourite TV show, eating your favourite food, or playing with the house pet. This can make you more keen to get on with the work, so that you can do the exciting thing after you’re finished.

Write a list, and then stick to it.

In chronological order If you have a lot to do, then write out everything that needs to be done, and arrange it in order of importance, such as things that are due in first. Sometimes if there’s a lot to be getting on with,it can make doing the tasks a bit more overwhelming. Knowing which is the most beneficial to finishing first, can help you be productive so that you aren’t ending up rushing the important things, or spending too long on something that is more far in advance than something that needs to be immediately done.

Set yourself timed activities Sometimes you might find that you have so much to do, but you might be uncertain how long it will take you. If you set some timed goals to complete specific tasks, it may help you to keep on track of achieving what you need, and will also mean that you won’t have time to procrastinate, especially if elements roll over in the amount of time required. Use time and task management apps as well to help you along the way when you need to.

Got questions about Academic We Issues? visited Student Advice cardiffstudents.com/advice

18

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

YOUR FDA approve first drug, Zokinvy, to SCIENCE treat rare rapid-aging disease progeria DESK H Holly Giles

Head of Science & Technology

Holly Giles

Rowenna Hoskin

Mili Jayadeep

utchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, shortened to progeria, is a condition of rapid ageing which affects 1 in every 4 million babies born worldwide. It is a rare genetic condition that causes the child’s body to age rapidly, meaning most patients do not live beyond 15.

The condition is caused by a mutation in a single gene which interferes with the protein behind making laminin A. This holds the nuclei of cells in place. The mutation means the protein has an extra piece attached (called progeria) which gets stuck in cell membranes, causing the cells to prematurely age. This leads to bone loss, hardening of the arteries, stiffening of connective tissues and eventually fatal heart attacks and strokes as a result of these changes.

People naturally produce more progeria as they age but children with the condition produce far too much of it.

There is currently no cure for progeria but treatments include supportive care and therapies towards the complications associated with the condition.

However, this could soon change as the FDA approved the first drug for progeria treatment in November 2020, called Zokinvy.

In a clinical trial with 62 children the drug was shown to increase life span by 3 months during the first 3 years of treatment. These children were then followed and on average showed that their lifespan was lengthened by 2.5 years over the 11 years of treatment. Zokinvy works to block some of the progeria being produced so less of it accumulates in affected children.

This reduces the pace of premature ageing. The drug is unable to fully block production but does reHutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome and progeroid laminopathies... cause premature aging and death and have a debilitating effect on people’s lives...

Zokinvy is the first FDAapproved medication for these devastating diseases”

Jack Robert Stacey science@gairrhydd.com

Hylton V Joffe

Director of the Office of Rare Diseases, Pediatrics, Urologic and Reproductive Medication

First medication for progeria: This approval marks the first treatment for the ageing condition. Whilst it is not a cure, it gives patients an extra 2.5 years of life, on average. Soure: Unknown (via Pikist) duce levels.

The Director of the Office of Rare Disease, Pediatrics, Urologic and Reproductive Medication, Hylton V. Joffe, explained the significance of the approval from the FDA: “Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome and progeroid laminopathies are rare genetic diseases that cause premature aging and death and have a debilitating effect on people’s lives…

With [the] approval, Zokinvy is the first FDA-approved medication for these devastating diseases. The FDA will continue to work with stakeholders to advance the development of additional new, effective and safe therapies for these patients” This sentiment was added to by David Cory, President and Chief Executive of Eiger, who explained: “The FDA approval of Zokinvy is the result of a pioneering partnership between Eiger BioPharmaceuticals and PRF to bring the first approved therapy to children, young adults and families living with this devastating disease. We are very proud that the first drug approval at Eiger confers a survival benefit to patients with one of the most ultra-

rare and, ultimately fatal, pediatric diseases”.

Alongside the approval, the FDA also issued a Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher to Eiger (the developers) to encourage development of new drugs and biologics for the prevention or treatment of rare pediatric diseases.

The company has recently said they plan to sell the voucher, which is estimated at $100 million, and to share the proceeds with the Progeria Research Foundation, who helped in the development of the drug.

Monica Kelinman, a pediatric critical care doctor at Boston Children’s Hospital involved in the clinical trials, reminded readers that whilst this is promising it is not a final result. She said: “This is not a cure. We’ve hopefully extended the lifespan that [the children] have by slowing the pace of the disease” but, she explained, this does not extend it to normal.

Now that it has been approved, the focus has moved to testing other drugs in combination with Zokinvy as a means to improve the efficacy of the treatment and reduce the side

effects to allow higher doses to be used.

Currently, the amount that patients can receive is limited by the drug’s side effects, which include vomiting, diarrhea and fatigue.

This future research could lengthen the lives of children with progeria further and help them to eventually live a normal life.

Overall, the approval of Zokinvy marks a key landmark in progeria care as clinicians will now have a treatment which can give children an extra 2.5 years of life; this will make a huge difference to patients and their families. It also offers hope that in the future this figure will increase so patients can one day expect a normal lifespan.

We are very proud that the first drug approval at Eiger confers a survival benefit to patients with one of the most ultra-rare and, ultimately fatal, pediatric diseases”

David Corey

President of Eiger

Industrial microwaves make hospital masks & respirators reuasable Holly Giles

Head of Science & Technology

R

esearchers from Cardiff University have been testing the ability to use industrial microwave ovens to decontaminate personal protective equipment (PPE) including respirators and surgical masks in order to make them reusable.

In the study the researchers tested respirators against three different microwave disinfection cycles and then afterwards, checked their ability to filter bacteria and viral-sized aerosols to check they still worked as PPE. The team reported their findings in the Journal of Hospital Infec-

tion, where they showed that some respirators can be decontaminated in just 90 seconds of exposure in an industrial-grade oven.

This finding is important in helping combat demand for PPE as many hospitals have reported difficulty is accessing respirators and surgical masks over the course of the pandemic. It is also thought this finding could reduce the environmental impact of the pandemic; one estimate suggests that if all the UK wore single-use masks each day for a year it would create 66,000 tonnes of waste and 57,000 tonnes of plastic packaging. Current estimates state that 129 billion face masks are being disposed of every month of the COVID-19 pandemic so any technique to reduce

this number is definitely welcomed.

“Being unable to access adequate PPE puts frontline workers and patients at risk of contracting coronavirus. Whilst masks are usually considered to be single use items, we wanted to find out whether they could be safely disinfected and used again,” said co-author of the study Prof Jean-Yves Maillard, from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Whilst this was successful for some respirators, microwaving surgical masks was shown to remove their aerosol filtering capacity meaning the masks no longer worked.

Michael Pascoe, co-author of the study from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, said:

“Surgical masks are known to lose effectiveness once they become moist – we suspected that microwave disinfection would lead to a similar loss in their ability to filter aerosols and this was confirmed by our lab observations.”

The team then built on this using dry heat instead and showed that exposure to 70°C dry heat for 90 minutes was effective at decontaminating both surgical masks and respirators.

After three dry heat cycles, both types of mask retained their aerosol filtering properties.

This research may have important implications in hospital settings in increasing supply of PPE to staff and reducing waste, but researchers have highlighted that this cannot be trans-

ferred to a domestic setting.

Professor Adrian Porch, from the School of Engineering, said: “Domestic microwave ovens typically have much lower power, around 800 W, and use rotating turntables rather than a rotating antenna. Significantly longer exposure times would be needed to achieve similar results and it is unknown how this would affect the functioning of the mask. Masks which contain thin wires can even catch fire when placed in a microwave.”

This is not a technique to try at home but may help our key workers in fighting the virus and keeping them safe. The research from Cardiff University is expected to be implemented into hospitals as the pandemic progresses.

GWYDDONIAETH A THECHNOLEG

Science behind Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine temperature requirements explained Umaima Arif Contributor

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fizer and its German partner BioNTech have created a COVID-19 vaccine that has been recently approved by the MRHA for emergency use authorization.

The first vaccination was given to a 90-year-old woman on December 7.

However, one challenge that arises with the new vaccine is that it needs to be stored at temperatures below -70 degrees, which is not normal for vaccines and requires special storage freezers along with shipping containers.

Though the vaccine is likely to be the first to reach the United Kingdom, its adoption will be limited. Furthermore, the companies are also seeking authorization to distribute the vaccine in Australia, Canada, Europe, the United States and other regions of the globe, drawing light to the problem of having and maintaining adequate temperatures for storage.

A similar vaccine to the one created by Pfizer, one that was developed by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases along with Moderna, also requires freezing at -20 degrees Celsius, though this can be accomplished with a standard freezer, and can even be “stored at refrigerator temperatures for one month.”

Researchers state that the low temperatures keep the vaccines from breaking down into their biogenetic constituents and becoming largely impotent.

Both vaccines require low freezing temperatures because they are mRNA-based vaccines. Also known as messenger RNA, mRNA is a single-stranded molecule of RNA which corresponds to the genetic sequence of a gene and is processed by a ribosome when synthesising proteins.

The particular vaccine consists of mRNA that carries instructions for building copies of the coronavirus’ spike protein, a prominent glycoprotein on the surface of the virus capsid. Human cells process these instructions and produce copies of the protein, which in turn prepares an adaptive immune defense from the body in the case that there is a real COVID infection.

RNA-based vaccines require colder temperatures for storage than DNA-based or other vaccines, due to the fact that RNA is less stable; its molecular spine is composed of a sugar called ribose, which contains oxygen molecules, whereas DNA has a molecular backbone of deoxyribonucleic acid, which lack oxygen molecules.

According to Sanjay Mishra, a protein chemist and data scientist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, “DNA can survive for generations, but RNA is much more transient.”

This refers to the fact that RNA is more easily degraded once read by its own enzymes; the degradation of RNA determines the speed at which a protein it gives instructions for is made.

Putting an mRNA-based vaccine in the freezer deactivates those enzymes and ensures they do not degrade the mRNA molecule.

Another reason for the relative instability of RNA compared to DNA is that RNA can form secondary structures and complex architecture such as loops, circles, and hair pinlike shapes, whereas the structure of DNA is one rigid, unchanging double helix with intertwined dual strands.

A third reason why mRNA-based vaccines require lower temperatures is due to the fact that RNA has a different nucleotide compared to DNA. Like DNA, RNA does use adenine, cytosine, and guanine, but its complementary base to adenine is uracil rather than thymine, which is used in DNA. Mishra states that the “uracil is a problem because it juts out,” or it protrudes from the otherwise regular structure of the molecule. The jutting uracil nucleotides act as flags to Toll-like receptors, or special immune system proteins that help detect RNAs from viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 (the particular coronavirus that causes COVID-19), and as such destroy the foreign mRNA meant to induce a proper immune defense.

To solve this issue, a modified version of the uracil nucleotide can be added, one which Toll-like receptors overlook. This spares the mRNA from being destroyed by the initial immune response so that the vaccine may properly induce the production of proteins that can build immune defenses against the virus.

This additionally affects RNA stability, and also explains the low temperatures at which each vaccine must be stored to maintain the stability at which it can be potent.

These various methods of the mRNA vaccine possibly becoming impotent before it can give instructions for synthesizing proteins for an established immune defense attributes to the long wait and extra cautions being taken by relevant companies to modify the vaccine for human distribution and use.

Though their approaches are largely unknown, it has been confirmed that the companies still need to add additional RNA to flank the instructions for the spike protein so that the information is stable, protected, and easily readable by human cells.

Both Moderna and Pfizer have reported that their vaccines are 95% effective at preventing illness in clinical trials. However, despite the accommodations being put in place to sustain such low freezing temperatures, the ultracold storage may still affect the practicalities of being vaccinated.

In addition, Pfizer has reported to health officials that the vaccine can be stored in special shipping containers that are “recharged with dry ice for 15 days and stay refrigerated for another five days after thawing”, according to Kurt Seetoo, the immunization program manager at the Maryland Department of Public Health in Baltimore.

This gives a time limit of 20 days to inject the vaccine into people once it is delivered. However, Moderna’s vaccine (as well as others that are still in testing) seems to last longer at warmer temperatures.

If those vaccines are as effective as Pfizer’s, they may be more attractive candidates in the long run because they don’t need such extreme special handling.

Researchers create gels for personalised 3D food printing Printed food can now be made to have different nutrients, tastes and textures depending on customer preference Rowenna Hoskin Science Editor

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cientists are already capable of producing 3D printed food, with the ability to change the product to suit the consumer preferences regarding aspects like taste, texture, cost, convenience and nutrition. In the near future, it will be possible to produce food with personalized shapes, texture, flavours, and colours.

Researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil, partnering with colleagues in France at Nantes Atlantic College of Vetinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering (Oniris) and the National Institute for Research on Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), have made strides toward achieving this goal. They are developing hydrogels based on modified starch for use as “ink” in 3D printing

of foods.

The journal Food Research International published the results of the project, supported by FAPESP (São Paulo Research Foundation). “In the past few years we’ve developed different technologies to modify starch and obtain gels with ideal characteristics for use as ‘ink’ to produce food by 3D printing,” Pedro Esteves Duarte Augusto, a professor at ESALQUSP and principal investigator for the project, told Agência FAPESP. The researchers based the first gels on cassava starch. They developed the method used to modify the structure and properties of the starch with ozone during a previous project also supported by FAPESP They produced ozone by applying an electrical discharge to oxygen, bubbled the gas in a container with a mixture of water and cassava starch is suspension, and dried the mixture by extracting the water. The result was modified starch.

By varying aspects of the process

such as ozone concentration, temperature and time, they were able to create gels with different properties concerning texture and consistency for the use of 3D printing.

“Control of the conditions enabled us to obtain weaker gels for other applications and firmer gels that are ideal for 3D printing because they retain the shape of the printed structure without flowing or losing moisture,” Augusto said.

Researchers have also developed a modification of starch which produces gels that display optimal printability, defined as the ability to make a 3D object by additive manufacturing (layer-by-layer deposition) and to maintain its structure once printed.

Dry heat treatment is also extended to the textural possibilities of printed samples based on wheat starch hydrogels.

“We obtained good results with both methods. They’re simple, cheap and easy to implement of an industrial scale,” Augusto said.

Oniris and INRAE in France printed samples of gel based on cassava and wheat starch in a project funded by the Pays de la Loire regional innovation agency.

Gels based on modified cassava and wheat starch can be used to print other things apart from food, such as biomedical products including drug capsules and nutraceuticals – food designed with health and nourishment in mind.

“We’ve demonstrated the feasibility of food production by 3D printing and fabrication of tailormade ingredients. Now we plan to extend the applications and test other raw materials,” Augusto said.

The development of hydrogels is a massive step in the right direction for the development of ‘ink’ in 3D printed foods. The development of 3D printed foods will mean that food can be made from scratch; its texture, taste and nutrients can be controlled and altered for personal preference creating a new age of food production.

Word of the week: Hydrogels • Hydrogels are super absorbent polymers (long chains of molecules) • Physical bonds holding the polymer together are hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic reactions and chain entanglements • They have many uses including cell culturing, tissue scaffolding and contact lenses

19

Exercise and genetic therapy effective

in reversing fatigue Mili Jayadeep

Science Editor

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usculoskeletal diseases among other conditions can cause fatigue. Myotonic dystrophy type 1(DM1) is the most prevalent type of muscular dystrophy in adults and is a musculoskeletal disease that causes wasting of the muscle, resulting in progressive muscle weakness. People who have this condition also commonly report chronic fatigue as one of their symptoms, where the fatigue can be so severe to the point of interfering with one’s daily activities.

Researchers have been experimenting on animal models to reveal that genetic treatment for DM1, complemented by exercise regime shows more improvement than genetic treatment alone. The study was conducted on mouse models by scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital and collaborating researchers. The findings were published in Molecular TherapyNucleic Acids. Doctor Thurman M. Wheeler, the senior author of this research, says: “It’s encouraging that exercise makes a noticeable difference on its own and in combination with a genetic treatment specifically tailored for the disease,” The scientist genetically engineered the mice used in their experiments to mimic the same gene mutations as that displayed in the disease. These mice were then treated with antisense oligonucleotide, used to create genetic repairs in the defective parts of the gene. The team decided to study four groups of mice; one group would have received only the genetic treatment, a second group would get the genetic treatment as well as exercise, another cohort would only exercise and the last group would act as the ‘control’, hence be given a placebo i.e. no form of treatment. A specialised enclosure was used to monitor and measure the mice’s movement and activity.

Reflecting on the findings, Wheeler says: “We were surprised that even on its own, exercise helped the mice recover from exertion more quickly. Exercise plus the antisense treatment had an even greater effect. But the antisense alone was of no measurable benefit.”

Researchers were uncertain of the effects that exercise may have on patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Some believed that it could only benefit their condition while others considered the latter.

However, according to the results of this study, exercise is shown to only be of benefit to these patients.

Further trials and research is required on actual patients before conclusions can be finalised based on the results of these experiments but it highlights the importance of exercise and the many benefits of it.

We were surprised that even on its own, exercise helped the mice recover from exertion more quickly.

Exercise plus the antisense treatment had an even greater effect. But the antisense alone was of no measurable benefit.”

Dr Thurman Wheeler

Senior Author

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

‘Jingle Jam’: the world’s biggest charity gaming event Jack Robert Stacey Technology Editor

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ith Christmas fast approaching, one group of Bristol-based digital content creators have just begun their annual charity event that aspires to raise over £3 million for worthy charities across the UK and the rest of the world.

Regarded as the world’s biggest charity gaming event, the ‘Jingle Jam 2020’ has recently begun broadcasting fourteen concurrent days of unique livestream content, lasting from the 1st to the 14th of December.

The annual event, viewable through the American live streaming platform ‘Twitch’, is raising donations for twelve different charity projects across the UK and the rest of the world, including: Access Sport, SpecialEffect, and The Open Bionics Foundation.

Although the duration of their fundraising season has been shortened by the outbreak of COVID-19 in the UK, the Bristol-based streamers have already opened the event by watching fan-made Christmas cat videos – With this, they managed to raise £1 million during their first 24 hours.

Across its 10 year lifespan, the ‘Jingle Jam’ has collected a total of almost £18 million for 16 different charities for the UK and the rest of the world. In addition to 14 days of livestreams, the annual event offers an incentive for generosity and

gifts donations of £25 or over with a curated bundle of games (worth around £450~ separately).

Sarah McBride, the Major Gifts and Philanthropy Manager at the Grand Appeal, has praised the continued partnership with the Yogscast and added that: “every year we are astounded by the generosity of the gaming community and this year, given the challenges we have faced will be even sweeter”.

McBride continued, highlighting the success of the “incredible games bundle” as a way of reaching the fundraising event’s aspiration to “hit our target of £2 million over the next few years”.

Since its early inception, the annual event has consistently raised substantial amounts of money for good causes, allowing donators to actively choose where their donation will go and what it will help fund (e.g. The Grand Appeal – constructing a new ‘state-of-the-art’ medical facility at the Bristol Children’s Hospital). The fundraising event’s livestreams on Twitch reach over 250,000 users every month, including more that 30 million in the last two years.

The first ‘Jingle Jam’ live streams started back in 2011 when Lewis Brindley and Simon Lane, founders of the Yogscast channel, insisted that fans donate to charity via a ‘Just Giving’ page, instead of sending them both Christmas presents.

Even though they were one of the most prominent YouTube gaming channels at the time, the massive response by fans was highly unexpected and, as a result, prompted the

Time to play: The world’s buggest charity gaming event is back for 2020 where it aims to raise over £3 million for charity over 14 days. Source: Unknown (via Pikisit) creation of an annual appeal every December.

Lewis Brindley, co-founder and continuing face of the ‘JingleJam’, noted that the event’s primary focus remains to be raising “as much money as possible for amazing charities” and that it allows “the gaming industry” to come “together for the

JingleJam to create incredible games bundles to encourage gamers to dig deep and donate”.

Speaking on his hopes for this years’ event, Brindley enthused that: “We want 2020 to be bigger than ever, and to do this we need everyone’s help in spreading the word.

“The more people that hear about Jingle Jam – the more we can raise.”

Now reaching 10 years of annual operation, the Bristol-based ‘Jingle Jam’ event continues to be a vital source of donations for many charities during this particular harsh festive period.

Closing fossil fuel plants may cost less than previously expected according to new study Rowenna Hoskin Science Editor

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he U.S is the second largest carbon dioxide producer in the world, second only to China. The shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is often considered to be a large change that will require a lot of money as decarbonizing U.S electricity production will require both construction of renewable energy sources and the retirement of fossil-fuel powered power plants.

The cost of this may not be as high as previously considered according to an article in the journal Science as most fossil fuel power plants are going to be closed by 2035

as so many of the facilities are nearing the end of their lives.

Meeting a 2035 deadline for decarbonizing U.S electricity production, as proposed by the incoming U.S presidential administration would eliminate just 15% of the capacity-years left in plants powered by fossil fuels, says the article by Emily Grubert, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher.

Plant retirements are already underway, with 126 gigawatts of fossil generator capacity taken out of production between 2009 and 2018, including 33 gigawatts in 2017 and 2018 alone.

“Creating an electricity system that does not contribute to climate change is actually two processes -

building carbon-free infrastructure like solar plants, and closing carbon-based infrastructure like coal plants,” said Grubert, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“My work shows that because a lot of U.S. fossil fuel plants are already pretty old, the target of decarbonization by 2035 would not require us to shut most of these plants down earlier than their typical lifespans.”

Of the U.S fossil fuel-fired generation capacity, 73% (630 out of 840 gigawatts) will reach the end of its regular lifespan by 2035; dropping to 96% by 2050, she says in the Policy Forum article.

“Closing large industrial facilities like power plants can be really disruptive for the people that work there and live in the surrounding communities,” Grubert said.

“We don’t want to repeat the damage we saw with the collapse of the steel industry in the 70s and 80s, where people lost jobs, pensions, and stability without warning.

“We already know where the plants are, and who might be affected: using the 2035 decarbonization deadline to guide explicit, community grounded planning for what to do next can help, even without a lot of financial support.”

Planning ahead will mean that the investment into new fossil fuels will be prevented and workers will be

able to plan their futures.

“We shouldn’t build new fossil fuel power plants that would still be young in 2035, and we need to have explicit plans for closures both to ensure the system keeps working and to limit disruption for host communities,” she said.

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy will be a major change for society and a big change for individuals in the fossil fuel industry.

With a clear plan in place, society can move forward with a knowledge of what the future holds.

One thing is for certain, fossil fuels cannot replace the power plants that are coming to the end of their term.

China’s Chang’e mission plants its first flag on the moon Mia Becker-Hansen Contributor

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hina has become the world’s second nation to plant its flag on the Moon, more than 50 years after the US first did so in their famous 1969 lunar landing.

Two of China’s previous lunar missions had flags, but these were part of the coatings on the craft and could therefore not be affixed onto the surface of the Moon.

There have been a grand total of six flags placed on the Moon up until now.

The first had been planted by Buzz Aldrin in 1969, and a further five during subsequent missions up until 1972.

The first flag is said by Buzz Aldrin to have been probably blown away by the winds from the Apollo lunar module blasting off, as it was placed too close to the module when erected.

The remaining five are said by NASA to still be standing from looking at satellite imagery, but are likely to have been bleached white by the Sun’s glare over the years.

The Chinese flag is 2m wide and 90cm tall, weighing around a kilo-

gram in total. The flag has been engineered to withstand the environment on the Moon such as protection against cold temperatures, as “An ordinary national flag on Earth would not survive the severe lunar environment,” project developer Cheng Chang said.

China’s Chang’e-5 space probe left on the 3rd of December to collect the first lunar samples brought back to the Earth in four decades.

The last to be collected was that of the Soviet Luna 24 mission, which brought back 200g of material in 1976. Chang’e-5 is picking up 2kg.

This makes China the third na-

tion in the world to collect lunar samples, after the US and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s.

The samples are being collected from a previously unexplored area of the Moon known as Oceanus Procellarum (Ocean of Storms), a vast lava plain, with the hope of providing insight on the Moon’s origins, formation, and volcanic activity on its surface.

The probe is equipped with tools such as a spectrometer, scoop, and drill to facilitate this. These samples will be returned in a capsule programmed to land in Northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.

The Chang’e-5 mission is China’s third successful Moon landing in the past seven years.

It is the latest mission amongst plans for China’s “space dream”, as quoted by President Xi Jinping.

This is among a plethora of ambitious targets including a rocket more powerful than NASA and SpaceX which will be able to carry heavier payloads, as well as a permanently crewed space station.

China has put billions into their military-run space program, hoping to catch up with the US and Russia after years of always being a few steps behind in space exploration.

GWYDDONIAETH A THECHNOLEG

21

Scientists of the past & future: December 2020

Edward Jenner and a review into the development of vaccines

Looking back on the work of Edward Jenner and his work on the first vaccine for smallpox, alongside the search for a COVID-19 vaccine today

Vaccination facts Smallpox was the first disease that was prevented by vaccination and is now completely eradicated.

Only 2 disease have been classed as eradicated by the WHO

Mili Jayadeep

Science Editor

Edward Jenner’s suggestion for vaccination was widely disputed before becoming standard practice

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dward Jenner, known as the father of immunology, has revolutionized the management of deadly diseases and the occurrence of pandemics and epidemics worldwide through his work into the first vaccine.

Born in 1749, he was an English physician, anatomist and biologist.

Jenner was an inquisitive character who believed in using experimentation as a method of scientific study and was determined to contribute to scientific advancements.

Jenner once said: “I shall endeavour still further to prosecute this inquiry, an inquiry I trust not merely speculative, but of sufficient moment to inspire the pleasing hope of its becoming essentially beneficial to mankind.”

At the time, smallpox was a widespread deadly viral disease that had no known cure and had resulted in a large number of deaths. Variolation was the only known method of combat against the smallpox virus which involved introducing the live virus taken from infected individuals into a healthy person’s body. This primitive form of treatment was far from an effective solution. As this method involved putting a healthy person’s life at risk as well as those around them, it did not always prevent mortality caused by the virus.

Building on the current technique, Edward Jenner reached a medical breakthrough following an encounter with a dairymaid called Sarah Nelson.

She had cowpox lesions on her hand, which originated from another virus, which unlike smallpox was harmless to humans. As a result of this alternative infection to a similar virus, the dairymaid appeared to be protected from the deadly smallpox virus.

Jenner was intrigued by this phenomenon and tested it by infecting an eight-year old child with the cowpox virus. After a brief period, the

The link between vaccinations and autism has since been disproven but is still a source of anxiety and fear and is the expected reason for many people’s reluctance to be vaccinated The first vaccine: Jenner created the smallpox vaccine through observations of dairy maids and their immunity. Source: Wellcome Library, London (via Wikimedia Commons) boy was inoculated with the smallpox vaccine on the second occasion. Jenner observed that the boy developed no symptoms of the smallpox disease and was determined to be immune.

After further study by repeat experimentation on others, Jenner invented the smallpox vaccine. This led him publish a private book, ‘An Inquiry into the Causes and Effects of the Variolae Vaccinae’ explaining the vaccine and how it worked.

As with all discoveries, the medical community debated Jenner’s findings before his work was widely accepted as medical practice. Owing to Jenner’s discovery and scientific methodology, vaccination schemes were rolled out throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1979, smallpox was completely eradicated as established by the World Health Organisation(WHO).

It is one of only two diseases to have been given this status.

Due to Jenner’s invention of vac-

Vaccination Stations: Building on the foundations of Jenner’s work, the first vaccine for COVID-19 was administered last week.

Source: Toby Porter (via London News Online)

cines, it is a widely used technique that protects human populations across the globe against various diseases. The NHS reports that vaccines are responsible for preventing approximately 3 million global deaths annually. Vaccinations have enabled the eradication or reduction of otherwise life-threatening diseases such as tetanus, polio, measles and diphtheria.

Vaccinations work by preventing the infection of a lethal disease. When vaccines are delivered, they contain a weakened or inactive version of either a part of or all of the pathogen. This elicits an immune response where the body is stimulated to create antibodies, in the same way it would to the real pathogen, hence training the body to defend if the immunized individual were to come in contact with the actual pathogen. Once the immune system learns how to fight that particular pathogen, it retains this in memory cells and is ‘immune’ against the otherwise deadly disease.

The method of vaccination therefore offers a safer and controlled manner in which diseases can be prevented.

Vaccinations are also more effective if more people within the community or population partake in the process. This is known as herd immunity which is the level of vaccinated people needed to be able to control disease spread enough to protect unvaccinated people. This high number makes it difficult for diseases to spread within a population hence offering greater protection to all.

Despite this, misinformation regarding vaccines and vaccination hesitancy can reduce the effectiveness of herd immunity if people refuse to get vaccinated. The most famous example of this is the now-retracted article claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Despite being retracted and multiple studies

disproving it, including an investigative piece into the alterior motives of the researcher, many members of the public have been influenced by this and are still sceptical of vaccines.

This misunderstanding and mistrust is the reason why 49% of Americans say they will not get the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

This figure is important and prevents us reaching the required figures for herd immunity with the community.

Due to the rigorous testing methods that have been developed over years as well as meticulous monitoring, vaccinations are a safe and effective method of ensuring global protection against disease. It is important now more than ever to understand the science behind vaccination.

With the recent pandemic changing our lives in more ways than one could imagine, the development of a vaccine against Covid-19 has only recently become available in the UK, which shows great promise to help revert life to normal once again.

Vaccinations are still an important avenue of research, as was highlighted this year through the development of the COVID-19 vaccine. The first vaccine to be approved by the MRHA was the Pfizer vaccine, with more expected to follow in the new year. The Pfizer vaccine was administered to the first patient on November 7, with mass vaccination predicted in the remaining weeks of 2020 and beyond.

Whilst the techniques behind the COVID-19 are very different to those used for smallpox, it is the original work of Jenner that is built upon for every vaccination that allows us to prevent many fatal diseases, of which it is hoped COVID-19 could soon be one. The fundamental immunology provided by Jenner has saved millions of lives and will continue to do so with every vaccination.

Variolation was the standard procedure before vaccination which is a technique originating from Asia

Jenner created the word ‘vaccine’ from the latin word ‘vacca’ Laboratory advancements that occurred in the late 20th century helped develop new techniques for vaccines to be developed 49% of Americans today will choose not get the COVID-19 vaccine MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) can start spreading quickly if even >10% of the population are not vaccinated. Most of the population need to be vaccinated for the ‘herd immunity’ effect

22

@CAERDYDD

YOUR “No one will go back to the streets” @CAERDYDD Concerns over the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on future of homlesness in Wales DESK T Fflur Trevor

@Caerdydd Editor

Natalie Graham

Fflur Trevor caerdydd@gairrhydd.com

o say this has been a trying year for the United Kingdom would be a vast understatement. A global pandemic caused the world to grind to a halt, continues to cause nerve racking uncertainty, and led to the second recession of the century. The lockdown caused many to fear when and if the next salary would arrive. However, what about those who lived in uncertainty prior to the pandemic? Homelessness has always been an issue in Wales but how as the coronavirus outbreak affected this issue?

A 2019 Government Report revealed that Cardiff had the worst rate of homelessness in Wales, which became a more pressing issue after lockdown was announced. During that time, hotel rooms, student accommodation, and hostels where used to provide 800 places. In June, councils were asked by Wales’ Housing Minister, Julie James, to find permanent homes for the homeless and rough sleepers who moved into accommodations in March. Moreover, £20 million will be spent towards building homes and transform empty houses. This further investment into resolving homelessness may certainly help decrease the number of rough sleepers in Wales.

More recently, Bridgend Borough Council provided 721 people, 371 of those were children, temporary accommodation between March and

October 2020. Moreover, between March and October, the council received over 1,000 homelessness applications creating an increase of 25% from the same time in 2019.

Dhanisha Patel, the Council’s Cabinet Member said, “People present as homeless for a variety of reasons whether that involves the threat of losing their accommodation, family breakdown or relationship breakdown, for example.

Julie James said, “We are absolutely determined that no one will have to go back on to the streets..everybody housed stays housed” In April, an estimated 407 rough sleepers were given a place to stay or temporary accommodation. However, the Welsh Government data implied that 101 had returned to the streets in August. Moreover, more figures from the Welsh Government in August saw that 974 homeless people were place in emergency accommodation, although little is known about the number of people that have returned to being rough sleepers.

John Puzey, Director of Shelter Cymru’s “Following the coronavirus outbreak, there has been a short term solution to homelessness in Wales, but there needs to be a long term solution to look after these people” As restrictions in Wales continue to ease, there are fears that many of the homeless will return to the streets or be “kicked out” of their accommodation once the disease has subsided. In response to these

concerns, the Welsh Government released a planning guide for homelessness and support services to try and avoid the potential problem. A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We are working with all partners to ensure that as a sector we are able to continue to meet the needs of anyone who needs a safe place to

at meeting a new group of friends through CGN after moving to a new city.

CGN is made up of a collective of local communities with cities throughout the UK, Europe and America, bringing together over 22,000 women in the last four years to meet new friends in the cities they call home.

The City Girl community involves coffee mornings, evening drinks, gigs, book clubs, walking groups and cinema trips. Even in the days of household bubbles and limited social contact, CGN Cardiff has set up the first of many online events, including a zoom christmas drinks evening on the 18th December.

Even at university, the lack of societies and opportunities to meet new people and forge genuine connections has been hard for many, living one lockdown away from the comfort of home and old friends, leading to an inceasingly lonely cohort. The network allows women to not only find new friends, but housemates, travel companions and business connections, and it couldn’t have come at a more important time.

What made you set up the City Girl Network in Cardiff?

“I originally learnt about the City Girl Network while I was living in Bristol - I saw the championing, support and empowerment that the girls offered each other, and I wanted to mirror that in Cardiff. I also moved back recently and wanted to meet like-minded women - I’m quite a shy individual so wanted to push myself a little by taking on the role of Community Manager and find a way to ease myself into meeting new people!”

What age groups are you hoping

“We are aiming to attract women in their 20s or 30s primarily but honestly, we’re open to any age.

With age comes wisdom and experience and we’re here to support and help each other.”

What can readers expect to gain from joining Cardiff Girl?

“We are offering a supportive network, daily articles and online events. These events will include coffee meet-ups, drinks evenings, book clubs and streamed yoga. In the future and once COVID restrictions have eased, we look forward to doing more in-person events - I’d personally love to do some art gallery meet-ups followed by cocktails!

“What do you think are the most challenging aspects about making friends in a new city?

“I think it can be quite intimidating about where to start; school, university and work set up environments where it’s easy to get to know each other and make friends, but if you haven’t got any of those things it can be daunting - especially if it feels like friendship groups already exist.

“It can be hard to put yourself out there but I constantly have to remind myself (as a huge worrier and over-thinker) that people are always friendlier and more willing to help than I think!”

Have you ever experienced loneliness living in Cardiff / after moving to a new city?

“Yes! I’m from South Wales originally but haven’t actually lived here since 2010... It’s strange coming back to settle after so long living away it’s familiar but also not. A lot of my friends are in Bristol and I feel a little out of place here sometimes. I’ve moved around quite a bit, including to Spain (by myself ), so Cardiff

live and that we take the opportunity to help people into long-term stable housing”.

Although, The COVID-19 pandemic has unequivocally helped push the problem of homelessness in the right direction in Wales, but it may be some time before the issue is solved and eradicated for good.

Homelessness in Cardiff: Homelessness has become a big problem in

Cardiff, but the problem has been exacerbated due to the ongoing COVID-19 New hub to pandemic. Source: Neil Theasby (via Geograph) support young Cardiff City Girl Network: Cardiff ’s solution to loneliness? job-seekers emailed in to exclaim their success to attract predominantly? doesn’t feel as scary due to having so

Natalie Graham

Head of @Caerdydd

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s of now, Cardiff based job seekers under the age of 25 have the option to access extra support whilst job seeking. This is all thanks to the new Youth Hub that has been launched in Butetown.

The hub, which is based at the Butetown Pavilion Youth Centre, is part of the UK Government’s £30billion Plan For Jobs. Young jobseekers across Cardiff sit amongst a variety of other locations across Britain who can now obtain support by accessing a local youth hub. The extensive service created will provide jobseekers with support whilst undertaking the hardship of finding a job, retraining to enter a new career and raise awareness of training opportunities.

The Cardiff hub will be open five days a week and will work closely with Cardiff City Council and partners. Work Coaches will also be available to offer guidance on far reaching issues on the topics of unemployment, budgeting, debt management and housing.

John Sourlis, a Work Coach based full-time in the new Youth Hub stated in Wales247; “Our new hub is where young people can feel comfortable about getting help and advice from people who understand what they’re going through. We are looking forward to working with Cardiff City Council and other partners to offer the support each young individual needs to move them closer to work.

“We’re not going to treat every young jobseeker the same –we want to help them as best we can”.

Natalie Graham

Head of @Caerdydd

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hroughout the pandemic, there has been an abundance of public service announcements urging citizens to check in on the elderly; many may be feeling lonely and quite literally isolated.

However, where is the urgency to support young adults feeling lonely and isolated? According to recent studies, loneliness has become an epidemic ravaging young adults. It is one that predates the COVID-19 pandemic, yet society has turned a blind eye to the growing problem.

Psychologist Christopher Beam, PhD, recently wrote; “Their developmental task is to connect with other people. To build up their social network, find a romantic partner, and establish a family if they so desire. In a pandemic, where you’re forced to socially isolate, it frustrates those efforts”, this all contributes to increasingly lonely twenty-somethings.

People under 35 are less settled at home, typically living with family, housemates or an unmarried partner. For many, a single year could involve all of these options. Friends provided the only constant in a life of ever-changing housemates, relationships and jobs. Bergefurt (2019), defined loneliness as “the discrepancy between an individual’s achieved and desired level of social relationships”.

However, there is a glimmer of hope in the fight against loneliness.

Cardiff has become the latest city in the City Girl Network collective.

To those of you who have listened to Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes’ ‘The High Low’ podcast, you may be aware of this network after a listener

many people so close by.

“There’s a book called The Lonely City by Olivia Laing which encourages us to see the beauty in loneliness and suggests we should all be a little less frightened of being alone...

I think that’s a lovely notion, but it’s okay to recognise it’s difficult sometimes too.”

How much do you think COVID-19 has impacted our ability to make friends/meet new people?

“A lot! On one hand, I love how all of these online platforms have blossomed and I can be part of networks that might have been out of reach otherwise - due to distance or just fitting it into my day - but as I’m sure we can all agree that Zoom fatigue is real, and by no stretch has replaced human interaction.

“Obviously only being able to see certain numbers of people and limited households is limiting and it’s less of a risk to stick to those you already know. I’m looking forward to restrictions easing a little and being to attend more events soon (hopefully)!”

What is Cardiff Girl’s ethos / what do you stand for?

“It’s cheesy but I really do stand by ‘empowered women empower women’; I’m constantly in awe of what a force women can be when working together - “when women support each other, inspiring things happen”.

We’re changing the game!

Can you sum up Cardiff Girl network to a reader who has never heard of the network before?

“Cardiff Girl is part of the wider City Girl Network which aims to help women all over the world find housemates, travel companions, new jobs, new friends and things to do. We’d love you to join us!”

STUDY CAFFI LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO STUDY? Book in at the Welcome Centre Food and Drinks can be ordered while you study from our app Cardiff University SU (No entry without signing in)

cardiffstudents.com

24

SPORT

YOUR SPORT DESK

Tom Walker

Freddie Bennett

Ella Fenwick

Ben Lovell-Smith sport@gairrhydd.com

2020, a year like no other

We examine the many highs and lows of 2020 and give our sporting moments of the year Tom Walker

Head of Sport

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here this is usually a time for reflection on the year just passed, it is difficult to isolate sport from a year that has been defined by anything but. All major summer sporting events, including the 32nd Olympics, Wimbledon and European Championships were either postponed or cancelled due to the damaging effects of the coronavirus pandemic. A combination of political frustration and the distain at the unequal treatment Black people in America, and the murder of George Floyd manifested into a huge social justice movement, headed by many athletes across the world.

Given these circumstances, it seems sport should be the last topic of conversation. However, the ever growing crossover between sport and the socio-political sphere has made sport a platform for these issues, with athletes and respective competitions using their platforms to pursue change and provide rest breaks for those despaired of entertainment and the harsh reality many had been experiencing.

With that said, it is time to look back at the sporting year and its standing within this exceptionally unique 2020.

A memorable beginning 2020 was set to have a blockbuster of a sporting schedule. The annual Six Nations tournament kicked off at the beginning of February and started with a bang, with a classic encounter between England and France setting a precedent for the rest of the championship. This was Wales’ first major competition with new head coach Wayne Pivac who began with the somewhat formality of beating Italy but went on to lose their next three fixtures against Ireland, France, and England.

The heavyweight rematch that everyone has been looking forward to since their controversial draw in 2018, also took place in February. Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury took to the stage at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. It was the ‘Gypsy King’ who came out on top in comfortable fashion, putting an end to Wilder’s five-year reign as WBC heavyweight world champion in seven thrilling rounds. The victory for Fury changes the face of the heavyweight scene for the near future, with an Anthony

Joshua fight around the corner (well, hopefully!).

The final occasion of note was SuperBowl LIV contested between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers. A miraculous display from superstar Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs over the line, coming from behind with a 21-point fourth quarter to see off the 49ers 31-20. There must also be a mention for the Shakira and Jennifer Lopez halftime performance, who for me anyway, stole the show, sorry Patrick.

Coronavirus All would come to a head in early March however, following the sweeping effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Within a short space of time, all European football and rugby leagues, ATP tours, Formula One races were either postponed or cancelled, as well as the NBA season, European Championships, Wimbledon, and the Olympics.

It looked bleak for many teams and sporting organisations across the UK. The complete diminishment of income resulted in many teams entering financial crisis, and with no end in sight everything looked rather dark.

..the ever growing crossover between sport and the socio-political sphere has made sport a platform for these issues, with athletes and respective competitions using their platforms to pursue change and provide rest breaks for those despaired of entertainment and the harsh reality many had bee experiencing.

The Restart A glimmer of hope arose for those sports heads in the UK with the restart of the Bundesliga on May 16.

However, it would not be until June 17 until football returned in the UK, with the Premier League and Championship being given permission to retake the field.

There would be no fans allowed at the ground, something only just reinstated at the time of writing. Other sports started to follow suit, the NBA announced it would be resuming its regular season and playoffs in a bubble environment, based in Orlando, Florida.

The US Open took place in a very

A true great: A mural dedicated to the late Diego Maradona in Buenos Aires. Source: Diego Torres (via Graffiti of Diego Armando Maradona.) similar setting at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. The Pro14 also announced its restart date for late August, offering a conclusion to that competition.

Liverpool were able to secure their long-awaited Premier League title, but having been knocked out the Champions League just before the lockdown, were not able to retain their Champions League crown, secured by Bayern Munich in late August.

Lebron James secured his fourth NBA title as he led the Los Angeles Lakers to their 17th championship.

England secured their 29th Six Nations title following a tense last day whereby an Ireland against France loss gave them the title.

The sporting world was beginning to look somewhat familiar, fans are being slowly reintegrated into the scene, obviously an integral foundation to normality, as well as the resumption of all the leagues and competition who were sacrificed at the start of the pandemic.

Major losses The sheer nature and extensive reach of the sporting world means that whenever someone from that family is taken away, it is felt by millions. However, this year feels a bit different.

Two of the greatest ever to play in their respective sports were cruelly taken from us, leaving not just the sporting community hurting, but the whole world.

First was the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. The five-time NBA champion was tragically killed in a helicopter crash on January 26, along with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers. The story reverberated across the globe, with many athletes, not just in the NBA, paying their respects to one of the best ever to play the game.

More recently, footballing icon Diego Maradona passed away of a heart attack at the age of 60. His impact on the sport was unmatched.

Despite the controversy that surrounded his personal life, his ability on it was untouched by anyone in his era, and he is single handedly (pun intended) responsible for one of the most memorable moments in football history, and a phrase that’ll resonate with England fans for life; Hand of God. There were of course more who deserve their own tribute, but Bryant and Maradona were inspirational to millions for what they did at the top level of their respective sports. They will be missed.

Moving forward It is difficult to pull many positives from a year where many have felt so much pain. But sport often offers a light, an escape, a passion that many can get behind to take their mind off the harsh reality of the current times.

As the reality of a vaccine grows stronger, hopefully 2021 can be a better year all round, and we can once again appreciate sport in the flesh.

Each of the Gair Rhydd Sport team give their sporting moment of 2020 and explain it’s significance Ben Lovell-Smith Sport Editor

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n a year of uncertainties, the ever present class of Rafael Nadal was just enough to help maintain my sanity.

Nadal won the French open yet again. Even 2020 could not defy the inevitable. Nadal stormed to a 13th French open title of his career, bringing him level on Grand Slams with Roger Federer.

Astonishingly Nadal did not drop a set across the whole tournament, even bagelling world number one Novak Djokovic 6-0 in the first set of the final as he stormed to victory at Roland Garros in classically sweaty and twitchy style.

Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

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he sporting moment of the year from my point of view would be James Anderson reaching 600 test wickets.

This incredible achievement came in England’s third test match against Pakistan, and it was the wicket of Azhar Ali that got him to the magic number.

As the first fast bowler ever to reach this milestone, Anderson is now fourth on the list of the highest wicket takers of all time, sitting behind three legendary spin bowlers.

It is a record that will be extremely tough to surpass and cements Ander- King of the Court. Source: Tatiana sons place as one of England’s best. (via Wikimedia Commons)

Tom Walker

Head of Sport

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f LeBron James’ greatness was ever in doubt, this years NBA finals put that debate to rest. The King had one goal and one goal only when entering the Orlando bubble in early July, and 96 days and 95 nights later, he achieved that goal and added a fourth ring to his collection.

The whole playoffs were remebarable. From the Boston Celtics’ epic Game six against the Toronto Raptors, to Luka Doncic’s outstanding game winner against the Los Angles Clippers. But LeBron James bringing LA their first championship since Kobe Bryant did 10 years ago in 2010 is just something really special.

Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

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espite all that has happened over the course of 2020, my sporting moment will be taking us all the way back to February, to a seventh-round knockout by none other than the Gypsy King himself.

This heavyweight remtach bewteen Fury and Wilder was worth the wait.

Not just for the over the top ring walks, the unpredictable rounds and the knockout itself, but for Fury walking away with his first title since making his comeback. Since then there have been many rumoured fights on the horizon for Fury, leaving 2021 looking like it could be an exciting year for the boxing world.

CHWARAEON

The art of the headbutt, the dearest of cheap shots We examine why the headbutt still has such a promient and infamous place in the sporting world

Who else?: Zinedene Zidane infamously retired following a red card after he headbutted Italy player Marco Materazzi. Source: David Ruddell (via Wikimedia Commons)

Ben Lovell-Smith Sport Editor

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he art of the headbutt is the perfect oxymoron. On the one hand it is brutal, ugly and frankly outright dangerous.

On the other hand, when executed correctly, it is a thing of beauty.

It is the epitome of front on confrontation, passion and vigour and as proven, it can write an individual into sporting folklore for eternity.

However unlawful or cheap it may be considered and however many cameras are placed around a sporting arena or however harshly the citing commissioner may view it, it goes without saying, there will always be a place for the headbutt within the sporting world.

The controversial non-dismissal of Fred for headbutting Leandro Paredes in Manchester United’s 3-1 loss to PSG was the last of a series of headbutts which have caught the eye over the past month. Less than a fortnight before, Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe was sent off in almost identical circumstances.

Meanwhile, the ‘baby rhino’ Ellis Genge lived up to his name as he appeared to violently kiss the head of Tomas Francis in the second half of England vs Wales.

Though Genge was quick to deny it on Twitter, “thanks for all the Twitter TMO reviews but I didn’t headbutt anyone”, it was pretty evident what had happened.

These incidents are just a few among many headbutts across the history of sport.

Luis Figo planted one in the 2006 FIFA World Cup ‘Battle of Nuremberg’.

Mark Renshaw was disqualified from the Tour de France in 2010 for using his head against a competitor to gain a lead in the Stage 11 sprint finish. Duncan Ferguson spent time in a jail cell for his front on assault on Raith Rovers defender John McStay.

Whilst global superstars Dennis Rodman, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson have all been guilty of committing the same offence.

Most famously, one of the most gifted footballers of all time, Zinedine Zidane chose to bow out of professional football head first, quite literally.

After giving France the lead with an outrageous ‘panenka’ spot kick in the first half of the 2006 World Cup final. In extra time, Zidane reacted to the torments of Marco Materazzi by assaulting him head first in the sternum.

Zidane brutally ends his own career on his own terms, placing himself simultaneously above and below the law, providing a juxtaposition of both presence and reactionary behaviour The images were shocking, yet the Zidane headbutt is written into folklore.

There is a sculpture of the incident at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, an extraordinary 5-page lyrical essay can be purchased on Amazon Kindle and the incident even appears in an episode of Family Guy. But the significance of the headbutt goes much deeper than com-

edy.

It represents disillusionment and humanity. Ultimately what really is the significance of victory to Zidane, who has already won everything, in the face of defending the name of his own sister?

A god-like figure within football, Zidane brutally ends his own career on his own terms, placing himself simultaneously above and below the law, providing a juxtaposition of both presence and reactionary behaviour.

His actions struck a chord with France’s Arab community who, following the 2005 race riots, identified with reaction to extreme provocation.

After all the act of the headbutt itself holds great symbolism.

To fight confrontation head on without paying due diligence to one’s own welfare is an honourable sacrifice for a cause.

Equally such actions without a cause can be extremely dangerous, careless and stupid.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s reaction to the Pepe headbutt was outrage. “It is unacceptable. Unacceptable. At this level you cannot do it.”

Similarly the same denouncements can be applied to Fred and Genge. In a world of video technology assaulting your opponent can often be considered frankly unprofessional.

However, the revival of the headbutt is nothing to be ashamed of.

Melancholic memories of that infamous night in Berlin have their place within sporting culture, alongside glorious moments of triumph lie moments of heartache and shame.

The headbutt evokes sporting stories of the past and encourages reflection and discussion and for what other reason does sport truly exist?

Formula One: Individual brilliance or the epitome of teamwork?

Hannah Jane Prydderch Contributor

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If you had to name a team sport, what would come to mind?

Football, rugby or hockey maybe amongst other things. Few people however would say Formula One, a sport so highly focused on the drivers and the legendary status that some of them such as Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Ayrton Senna have achieved.

In a sense, they could be correct.

In the end, the driver is the sole focus when the lights go out on track and the racing begins. It is them who perform the dynamic overtakes, manage the tyres and ultimately try to garner the best performance out of the car. Even when things go wrong, it is the driver who takes control and maximises their opportunities, such as Jenson Button’s memorable win at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix when luck seemed to have abandoned him.

It is the driver’s exploits on track that are remembered and most frequently lauded.

However, despite being seen as an individual sport, Formula One is perhaps the ultimate team sport. A team’s chances can be made or destroyed by the actions of the team at the track or back at the team’s base, often thousands of miles away.

As fans we see a car being driven for a couple of hours every few weekends.

What we don’t see is the hours of work and dedication being put in by person-

nel from the pit crew, to engineers, to the media and design teams that put the car on track week in week out and enable the driver to maximise their opportunities.

Nevertheless, it is moments like Mercedes’ mistakes with George Russell at the Sakhir Grand Prix last Sunday, that highlight how instrumental a team is to a driver’s success in Formula One. This weekend looked to have been a fairy-tale story for George Russell.

The 22-year-old driver was given his moment in the spotlight after being called up by Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton, who tested positive for coronavirus. The Williams driver had languished at the back of the grid all season and had the golden opportunity to prove the talent that he had showcased in his 2018 Formula 2 title winning campaign.

And prove himself he did, nearly out qualifying his teammate Valtteri Bottas and getting a blinding start to lead the race into Turn 1. He controlled the race with a maturity that far belies his youth.

However, this all came crashing down on Lap 63 after a safety car was triggered as a result of Jack Aitken’s Williams tagging the barriers. Mercedes made the late call to pit and double stack their drivers, but accidentally fitted Bottas’ tyres to Russell’s car, forcing the Brit to have to box again to rectify the issue.

A subsequent puncture saw him drop down to 16th and he eventually finished in ninth, a bittersweet way of

Pit Stop: One of the most technical and tactical elements of Formula One. Source: Gil Abrantes (via Wikimedia Commons.) achieving his first points of the season and Mercedes were fined €20,000 for the incident.

A driver is only as successful as their team enables them to be. Being the fastest car on track is only worth something if you have the support and knowledge behind the scenes to back it up.

If the teams were not important, why do they spend so long practicing pitstops and planning alternative strategies? In a race, especially in the midfield where the pack is so close, it is the role of the team to try to manage variables that drivers cannot.

A slow pitstop costs time that drivers may not be able to take back, the

weather may change and give other team’s the advantage and the drivers would not even have the ability to showcase their skills if not for the dedication of the personnel back at the factory, who thoughts not only have to focus on the current car but the 2021 and then 2022 regulation changes too.

Formula One is a sport highly focused on the drivers. However, it is in fact the teams that make the sport what it is and if you don’t believe me, look at the battle for third in the constructors’ standings between Racing Point, McLaren and Renault. The prize money on the line matters far more to the future success of the team, than the individual standings of their drivers.

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TEAM TALK

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his week’s Team Talk takes a look at Cardiff University Cricket Club. Though, like all sports around the world, the side had quite an unexpected year, there has still been plenty of talking points for the team as they look ahead to their 2021 season.

Last September began with lots of optimism around the year. Chairman of the team Charlie Cross said that they had ‘’the best fresher intake in the club’s history’’.

This shows the enthusiasm around the University for cricket and indicates that the team is in a strong position to succeed upon resumption.

Nevertheless, after all competitions had been postponed earlier this year, the team was inevitably disappointed not to be able to show off their new-found fresher talent against other universities.

Yet, the lack of games meant that the captain and others around him could plan for the new academic year.

Though, going into this academic year, Cross explained that there have been ‘’some obstacles” since returning in September, such as the unavailability of their nets facility.

This barrier during the firebreak lockdown meant that the team were not able to hold their trials as planned and had to wait before selecting their new sides, as well as being unable to train and get ready for the new season.

After rearranging, fortunately, the first eleven side has now been selected. There is inevitably a lot of optimism around their new team, and hopefully in the coming season they will be given the chance to show off their skills. ‘’After Christmas we are looking to get our 2nd, 3rd and development XI’s selected.” Cross explained, “As we near the season, we will also be hoping to spend some time at the Ebbw Vale training facility with our coach Lee Herring’’.

Looking further into the future, as the team prepares for their 2021 season there are talks of some preseason fixtures against Cardiff Metropolitan University which would allow the captain to identify how the team can work best and will give him some ideas of what can be improved upon.

Moreover, Cross suggested that there could be a pre-season tour on the cards. This would be a great opportunity for the new freshers to cement their places in the side, as well as allow the freshers to engage themselves in the team.

CUCC look to be very optimistic about the new season and Cross said they ‘’cannot wait to get going’’.

Hopefully this season will bring the side more luck then 2020, however there looks to have been plenty of planning and discussions of how to utilize the side in the best way possible.

It will be interesting to see what this season holds, and one can rest easy that there is plenty of skill and talent on show at Cardiff University and hopefully this can be shown in 2021.

For now, there is more anticipation, planning and selecting that needs to be done before we can see the finished product.

Next season should have a lot of entertainment in store for those of us following Cardiff University Cricket Club.

Reporting by Freddie Bennett

2020, a year like no other:

An overview of all our greatest sporting moments of this year page 24

SPORT CHWARAEON Formula One: Individual brilliance or the epitome of teamwork FORMULA ONE Hannah Prydderch Contributor

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idely celebrated for the success of its drivers on the track, from the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher, Formula One has been widely seen as an individual sport.

Fans only get to see the car racing for a couple of hours every few weekends. A segment of the work that goes into the drivers’ successes, yet behind the scenes there is an extensive team working week in week out to help them achieve these.

From the pit crew to engineers, the design and media teams perhaps Formula One is the ultimate team sport.

Continued on page 25

The art of the headbutt, the dearest of cheap shots FOOTBALL

Ben Lovell-Smith Sport Editor

Running Stupid Against Cancer: Alex Line ran 261.8km over November (Credit: Alex Line).

Drawn to a close: End of a busy first semester at Cardiff University Ella Fenwick Sport Editor

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his semester could be seen as a bit of a whirlwind, after a circuit break lockdown and everchanging governmental restrictions, the sporting world at Cardiff University was surely going to be a little quieter than usual. With the semester drawing to a close, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The students of Cardiff University have been busy making some insane achievements, from some major signings to personal achievements as well as the collective effort of sports teams in raising money for Movember, this semester has been far from quiet.

Athletic Achievements Taking us back to the beginning of the year we saw the successes of four of Cardiff University’s own high performing athletes in the 2020 Müller British Athletics Championships in September. Students Esther Adikpe, James Heneghan, Lauren Cooper and Bethany Moule competed across the weekend, with Moule bringing home a bronze medal in the British senior’s javelin competition, she also left the competition having set the new Welsh U20 athletics record.

After a phenomenal performance in the championships, Moule has recently been nominated for the introduction of the new Performance of the Year award for the Welsh Athletics national awards programme.

The return of road racing took pkace in the form of the Cardiff Sunset 5km run. Cardiff University was represented

by Cardiff alumni and former BUCS champion Alaw Benyon and member of Cardiff Uni Sport staff Charlotte Arter. Both runners were highly successful with Benyon placing fourth and Arter who came in at first place with an incredible time of 15:59 minutes.

Student Signings Over this semester, we have celebrated the signings of multiple Cardiff University students to continue the success of their professional careers. After being selected for the GB Hockey squad, Cardiff alumni Rupert Scott played on the GB team on October 27 against the Netherlands and later went on to face Belgium in the FIH Pro League.

The signing window for the Vitality Netball Super League was drawn to a close at the end of October, with three of the University’s own picked up by the Celtic Dragons for the 2021 season.

Leila Thomas and Annie O’Rourke were re-signed to return to the squad for the thrilling season ahead, but first year student Victoria Booth will be making her debut next year on the court.

Another GB team signing was also made this semester for high performing athletes James Miller in pistol and Dean Bale in rifle, who will see themselves competing at major competitions in 2021, representing the GB shooting team.

Running Stupid Against Cancer Over November you may have found yourself doing a double take or questioning your own eyes when seeing a bright pink inflatable unicorn running past you down the street. Nothing falls short of the imagination in Cathays, but you were not mistaken this time round.

If you were lucky enough to have spotted the eight-foot unicorn bobbing round the surrounding areas of Cardiff, you have Alex Line to thank.

Line took to the streets of Cardiff, for Sue Ryder, a charity that is very close to his heart to raise money and awareness for all the work they achieve. Sue Ryder supports people through difficult times; families dealing with a loss of a loved one, terminal illnesses or a neurological

condition.

In the sun, in the rain or in the cold nothing stood in Line’s way of running the full 30 days no matter how tough it seemed to get. Line kept motivated and finished the month having ran a total of 261.8km.

All together it all seemed worth it for Line just for the laugh and the spark of positivity he gave to people passing by.

With his determination and the support of the Cardiff community, Line raised over £1,800 for his chosen charity.

Movember Many sports teams including men’s rugby, american football, rowing and football, spent the whole of November growing out moustaches. Not just to try out a new look, but to raise the awareness surrounding the importance of men’s general and mental health for the Movember Foundation. Each club raised large amounts of money with the men’s rugby club exceeding their £5,000 target raising an amazing £6,586 all together.

Other clubs also took part in different activities to donate to the foundation.

With Alex Cummings-Montero admitting he never had the luxury of being able to grow a moustache deciding to take part in a kickathon instead.

For more breaking sports news, visit www.gairhydd.com/sport

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here have been a number of incidents of headbutts in the past few weeks around the sporting world. Reaction has been shock, horror and condemnation for what is considered an abominable act. But is there a place for the headbutt in our sporting culture?

By taking a look back at similar past incidents, especially the infamous Zinedine Zidane headbutt in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, one begins to feel a certain melancholy. Sport is about the ups and downs and the headbutt sits somewhere in the middle.

Continued on page 25

Team Talk: Cardiff University Cricket Club CRICKET

Freddie Bennett Sport Editor

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his week’s Team Talk takes a look at Cardiff University Cricket Club (CUCC). After a difficult year for the side with limited game time and plenty of cancelled fixtures, the club remains optimistic for the future. Having now finalized the first eleven side, the priority after Christmas will be to do the same with the second and third teams ready for the new season. Hopefully in 2021 the team will be able to show off their talent against other universities.

Continued on page 25