A 17-year-old girl has died after a 4X4 car left a flooded forestry track and overturned into a river in Powys.

A man in the vehicle had to walk to a farmhouse to raise the alarm after Friday evening’s incident near the Llyn Brianne reservoir in Powys.

Hundreds are mopping up and preparing for even more wet weather after four inches of rain fell in 48 hours.

A man was rescued by fire-fighters after falling into the River Clywedog near Wrexham.

The teenager who died in Powys was airlifted to Bronglais Hospital, Aberystwyth - along with a male and another female suffering from hypothermia.

Three helicopters were used in the rescue on a remote forestry track north of Llyn Brianne reservoir.

Insp Robert Price, of Dyfed-Powys Police, said that flood water from the river had caused the vehicle to “lose its footing” and tip into the river at about 1745 BST on Friday.

South Wales bore the brunt of the bad weather on Friday with around 100 people forced to leave the homes.

The storm front moved north over Powys through the night with a severe weather warning put in place for the country.

Environment Agency Wales said rivers are now “unseasonably high” following the downpour.

The south Wales valleys were the worst affected area during Friday’s storms with severe flood warnings placed on the rivers Rhymney and Taff.

It was particularly busy around the Pontypridd, Church Village, Llantrisant, Aberbargoed and Abercarn areas with South Wales Fire Service dealing with more than 500 flood-related calls during the course of the day.

One of the day’s flood victims was Fred Jenkins, of Ynysboeth, whose home was overcome by a 4ft (1.2m) wall of water.

"Before we could do anything it had entered the house. I couldn’t do anything"
Fred Jenkins, Ynysboeth resident

The pensioner, who has lived with his wife in their terraced house near Abercynon for 39 years, was hit after a culvert and manhole burst due to pressure of water at the top of their street at around 1145 BST.

“We heard a loud bang and the water just rushed down in a big flurry - about 4ft high ” Mr Jenkins told BBC Wales.

“Before we could do anything it had entered the house. I couldn’t do anything - I’m 75. I couldn’t lift anything out of the way. We just had to put up with it.”

Things became so bad in the area that all available staff at Rhondda Cynon Taff Council were called back in to work overnight to help deal with the huge influx of emergency calls and request the authority was having to deal with from local residents.

Homes were not the only things affected by the bad weather with many main roads closed across the region and landslips occurring in Rhymney and Gwent valleys.

Meanwhile, rail passengers were advised not to travel and as the rain spread northwards into mid-Wales during the day 155 children were evacuated from Cradoc junior school in Brecon and taken to a local leisure centre for shelter.

As the day wore on emergency rest centres were set up at leisure centres in the town and nearby Newtown for those trapped by the rains.

The rainfall also caused chaos in the leisure sector with the ninth annual Pontypool Jazz in the Park 2008 festival being called off after the events various venues were flooded by torrents of water.

More than 50 concerts were due to take place from in four sites around Pontypool Park over the weekend but the heavy rain and local river bursting it banks ensured the event had to be cancelled on the grounds of public safety.

A spokesman for Torfaen County Borough Council said: “A judgement had to be made and, unfortunately, it had to be cancelled.

“It’s not been reorganised for another date because the event was due to have more than 50 acts playing and we couldn’t rebook that number of acts any time soon so the event has been lost for this year.

“It was going to be a superb programme this year and losing it to the weather is a terrible tragedy for us.”

There was some good news for those looking to have a good time despite the weather with the gay and lesbian festival, Cardiff Pride 2008, refusing to buckle under the bad weather.

Waterlogged grounds forced organisers to cancel the festivals main showcase event in Coopers Field but after talking to local council officials a scaled-down version of the event will go ahead from midday today.

Cardiff Pride spokesman Haydn Price said: “As a result of the bad weather we have spoken to Cardiff County Council and they have agreed to let us open the street party in Churchill Way from midday.

“So it’s not all doom and gloom. It’s not going to be on the same scale but at least we’re going to be putting something on for those that had been coming to Cardiff for the event.

“But we’ll be back as we’ve already booked the venue for September next year.”

However, the National Mud Festival of Wales at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust National Wetlands Centre Wales near Llanelli will not be affected by the rainfall.

Now in its seventh year, the event will be revelling in its wet surroundings teaching the public about the importance of the mudflats in the Burry Inlet and what the trust is doing to preserve them.

Throughout the weekend there will be lots of activities illustrating the uses of mud such as mud hut building, mud sculpting and the chance for people to join in the annual Tug of Mud competition.<p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

Parents are being given guidance on how to recognise signs their child may be in a gang.

The advice booklet coincides with the launch of a charity in Birmingham set up by the mothers of two teenagers who were killed in a drive-by shooting.

The home secretary said parents needed to know the signs of gang involvement and where to turn if they were worried.

But youth worker Shaun Bailey said by the time there were visible signs of membership it was “way, way too late”.

The guide has been produced by the Home Office in conjunction with police, local authorities, parenting organisations and community groups including Mothers Against Violence.

Slang words

The booklet says young people join gangs for a host of reasons including excitement, protection or money from crime.

It tells parents to talk to their children about “the dangers and consequences of gang involvement” and offer them more positive activities to get involved in.

Parents should also look out for certain changes in behaviour, including:

• Has your child started to use new slang words
• Do they have any unexplained money or new possessions
• Do they have a new nickname
• Has their appearance changed Are they dressing in a particular style or “uniform”, for example, wearing a bandana
• Do they use graffiti style “tags” on possessions such as schoolbooks
• Do they have unexplained physical injuries

The guide also gives parents some advice on what to do if their child is already involved in a gang, such as seeking help from local youth organisations.

“It’s important to be clear that your child does have a choice, even when they think they may not,” it says.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: “All parents worry about keeping their children safe - and need support to help them to do it.

“They need to know how to spot if their child is involved in a gang and where to turn if they are concerned.”

‘Stay a child’

But youth worker Shaun Bailey told the BBC News website: “I don’t want to sound too critical because you have to respond somehow, but if you’re at the stage when you’re spotting these signs it’s way, way too late.

“Only parents who have very strong relationships with their kids can step in then. Of course, some parents do, so it’s worth saying, but not all.

"The best way to keep your kid out of a gang is to keep your child a child"
Shaun Bailey, youth worker

“The other thing is that writing things down like this solidifies the existence of gangs. But gangs don’t exist in a solid, regimented, uniformed way, they’re much more fluid.

“Membership is based on personal relations - family, friends, the people you live beside - not some middle class notion of a uniform.”

Mr Bailey, who runs youth organisation My Generation, said prevention was key.

“The best way to keep your kid out of a gang is to keep your child a child.

“If you’ve got an 11-year-old being drawn into a gang they are upping their level of sophistication, losing their innocence, being ‘cool’.

“What defends children from that is not being cool, and the best defence against being cool is being a child.

“So, do you talk to your kid Do you know where they are Do they have to come straight home after school It’s those things that really matter.”

The guide’s release coincides with the launch of the New Year Shooting Memorial Trust, set up by Beverley Thomas and Marcia Shakespeare.

Their daughters, Charlene Ellis, 18, and Letisha Shakespeare, 17, were killed in a botched gang attack outside a party in 2003.

The trust will offer support to families and young people affected by violent crime as well as preventative measures including help with employment.

The Gangs: You and Your Child booklet is available at www.direct.gov.uk and 30,000 copies are initially being distributed in London, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham.<P

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

By Emilio San Pedro
BBC Americas editor

A court in Havana, Cuba, has ordered a punk rock musician to pay a fine of $30 (£15) for public disorder for playing his band’s music too loud.

However, Gorki Aguila was cleared of a more serious charge that could have led to a jail sentence.

The lead singer of band Porno Para Ricardo is known for songs that ridicule Cuba’s communist government.

He had faced a possible four year term in prison for the crime known in Cuba as social dangerousness.

The controversial law allows the jailing of people who the authorities believe have been displaying behaviour that would indicate they could be on the verge of committing a crime.

But, prior to the trial, prosecutors decided to drop the charge. Instead Mr Aguila was found guilty of public disorder for playing his group’s music too loud while they were recording their new album.

He was then ordered to pay a $30 fine and released.

Minutes later, the outspoken bushy-haired singer told reporters gathered outside his house that it was clear the international interest in his case had played a key role in the last-minute decision by prosecutors to drop the more serious charge he was facing.

He also vowed to continue criticising the Cuban government and its emblematic communist leaders like Fidel Castro and the current president, Raul Castro.

Nothing, he said, could ever be gained by remaining silent.

There has been no comment regarding the case from the Cuban authorities

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

A hero’s welcome is being prepared in honour of double gold medal winner Rebecca Adlington in her home town.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Mansfield in Nottinghamshire as the swimmer tours through the town on an open-top bus.

She will be taken to the bus in a gold Rolls Royce and presented with a pair of gold Jimmy Choo shoes promised to her by the town’s mayor Tony Eggington.

Adlington won two Olympic golds in the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing.

The 19-year-old swimmer broke the 800m world record set in 1989 - the year she was born.

‘Golden opportunity’

Mayor Tony Eggington said: “To reach the very top of any sport requires years of hard work, focus and complete dedication - all traits which Rebecca has in abundance.

“What’s more, this success couldn’t have happened to a nicer girl. Rebecca is a credit to herself, her family and Mansfield.

“Through the success of Rebecca we now have a golden opportunity to inspire even more young people to go on and achieve success, whether it is in sport or other walks of life. This is what hard work can achieve.”

A giant screen has also been put up in Mansfield’s Market Place which will replay Adlington’s winning races as she tours the town on Tuesday.

She became the first British swimmer in 100 years to win two Olympic gold medals.

Her intensive training schedule has seen her get up at 0500 every day and spend 30 hours a week in the pool

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation

Astronomers have shed light on how stars can form around a massive black hole, defying conventional wisdom.

Scientists have long puzzled over how stars develop in so extreme conditions.

Molecular clouds - the normal birth places of stars - would be ripped apart by the immense gravity, a team explains in Science magazine.

But the researchers say that stars can form from elliptical discs - the relics of giant gas clouds torn apart by encounters with black holes.

They made the discovery after developing computer simulations of giant gas clouds being sucked into black holes like water spiralling down a plughole.

“These simulations show that young stars can form in the neighbourhood of supermassive black holes as long as there is a reasonable supply of massive clouds of gas from further out in the galaxy,” said co-author Ian Bonnell from St Andrews University, UK.

Ripped apart

Their findings are in accordance with actual observations in our Milky Way galaxy that indicate the presence of a massive black hole, surrounded by huge stars with eccentric orbits.

The simulations, performed on a supercomputer - and taking over a year of computing time - followed the evolution of two separate giant gas clouds up to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun, as they fell towards the supermassive black hole.

The simulations show how the clouds are pulled apart by the immense gravitational pull of the black hole.

The disrupted clouds form into spiral patterns as they orbit the black hole; the spiral patterns remove motion energy from gas that passes close to the black hole and transfers it to gas that passes further out.

This allows part of the cloud to be captured by the black hole while the rest escapes.

In these conditions, only high mass stars are able to form and these stars inherit the eccentric orbits from the elliptical disc.

These results match the two primary properties of the young stars in the centre of our galaxy: their high mass and their eccentric orbits around the supermassive black hole.

“That the stars currently present around the galaxy’s supermassive black hole have relatively short lifetimes of [about] 10 million years, which suggests that this process is likely to be repetitive,” Professor Bonnell explained.

“Such a steady supply of stars into the vicinity of the black hole, and a diet of gas directly accreted by the black hole, may help us understand the origin of supermassive black holes in our and other galaxies in the Universe.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation