GETHING GETS IN
Wales set to get first Black leader
RUSSIAN oil refineries have been hit by more Ukrainian drone strikes during the second day of the country’s presidential election.
One plant in the Samara region caught fire yesterday as polling continued in the election, which has been branded a “sham”.
President Vladimir Putin, 71, faces three token rivals at the ballot box.
Kremlin officials have stifled protests from independent media and rights groups so Putin is expected to win six more years in power following the voting, which ends today.
Ukraine’s latest drone strikes came a day after a Russian assault on the port of Odesa killed at least 21 people.
VAUGHAN Gething will become the next Welsh First Minister, making him the first Black leader of a European country.
The 50-year-old vowed to “turn the page” on Welsh history after winning the Welsh Labour leadership election yesterday. He beat rival Jeremy Miles with 51.7% of the vote.
Mr Gething, who is currently the Economy Minister, previously served in the health ministry for seven years.
After incumbent First Minister Mark Drakeford steps down next week, opposition groups can put forward a candidate as Senedd leader.
But as Labour is the largest party, it is unlikely anyone would beat Mr Gething to the post.
The son of a white vet from Glamorgan and a Black chicken farmer from Gambia, Mr Gething moved to the UK in 1976 when his father got a job at a veterinary practice in Monmouthshire.
But the offer was withdrawn when the owners realised he had a Black family, leading the Gethings to settle in West Dorset instead. After his win, Mr Gething said: “Today, we turn a page in the book of our nation’s history; a history we write together.
“Not just because I have the honour of becoming the first Black leader in any European country but because the generational dial has jumped too.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer said the election result was “a historic moment that speaks to the progress and values of modern-day Wales”.
He added: “With his many years of experience in the Senedd, I know he [Mr Gething] will lead a hopeful, ambitious Welsh Labour government in the face of a tired and failed Tory government in Westminster.”
The vote comes as Wales faces many challenges, such as a struggling economy, farmers protesting and NHS waiting lists hitting record highs.
TORY ministers have given £900,000 to the ferry firm that sacked hundreds of workers without notice.
The Ministry of Defence and other government departments handed the six-figure sum to P&O Ferries over the course of two years, Labour found.
The company sparked outrage in 2022 when it fired 786 employees and replaced them with cheaper agency staff.
Scandal
Then-pm Boris Johnson said P&O Ferries had “broken the law” and pledged court action.
But Labour said little has been done to stop it happening again.
The Insolvency Service’s civil probe into P&O Ferries remains unresolved and fire-and-rehire practices remain legal.
The Seafarers’ Wages Act is yet to become law and up to 4,400 seafarers are still paid less than minimum wage.
Shadow Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Under the Tories, these attacks will be allowed to continue.
“This scandal can never happen again.”
A BOEING 737-800 plane was found to be missing a panel – after it landed.
United Airlines flight 433 from San Francisco to Medford, Oregon, had 139 passengers and crew on board on Friday. No injuries were reported.
Boeing is under scrutiny after a series of high-profile incidents. The US Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the lost part.