
A465: Road closed for over 36 hours after fatal crash
The collision, which involved an overturned quadbike on the westbound carriageway, happened on the A465 between Rhymney and Dowlais at around 5am on Saturday, May 31.
The road remained closed until around 6pm on Sunday, June 1.
Police said a 20-year-old man from Brynmawr was pronounced dead at the scene after being found on the overturned quadbike.
His family has been informed and are being supported by officers.
Gwent Police believe a second vehicle, a white BMW, may have been involved in the crash.
It was found burnt out in the Dowlais area.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident.
A 40-year-old from Merthyr has been arrested on suspicion of murder, driving while unfit through drink, and driving while unfit through drugs.
A second man, a 37-year-old from Merthyr, has been arrested on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and assisting an offender.
Both remain in police custody.
Officers are now appealing for anyone with information on the incident to contact them.
They can call 101 or message the force on social media, quoting reference 2500171434.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Figure AI CEO skips live demo, sidesteps BMW deal questions onstage at tech conference
Brett Adcock, co-founder and CEO of the humanoid robotics startup Figure AI, made a rare public appearance at the Bloomberg Tech conference on Thursday. Figure has recently been the subject of a couple news articles that questioned its progress with marquee customer BMW. Figure objected so strenuously to at least one of these reports that Adcock publicly threatened to sue the publication. When asked about the skepticism surrounding the BMW relationship and whether it is a pilot or has commercial value to the company, Adcock replied with an explanation of the technical benefit of having robots on a factory floor but didn't provide specifics about the contractual relationship with BMW. "We get a lot of value, and it's really important that we need to figure out how to run robots every day. We get to see how well they perform. We get to track all the metrics," he said. Two months ago, Figure also published a YouTube video showing a couple of its robots working in a BMW factory. Adcock did, however, say that Figure AI has signed a contract with a second, unnamed customer for initial deployment, a customer that Bloomberg has reported to be UPS. Figure AI has drawn attention for making claims that its AI-powered robots possess human-like fine motor skills and can manipulate objects with precision. Despite releasing numerous videos of its robots at work, the company hasn't done a live demonstration of the humanoids. The interviewer, Bloomberg's Ed Ludlow, pointed out that while two other robotics companies, Agility Robotics and Boston Dynamics, showcased their robots at the conference, Figure AI did not. 'It kind of goes back to our whole philosophy around we don't go to a lot of events," said Adcock. "I think it's a giant waste of time. To be frank, I have to bring a team here to bring robots here. They could be at the office,' he said, adding that the company is showcasing the robots in videos. Adcock confirmed that Figure AI is expecting to manufacture and deploy roughly 100,000 units within four years. The skepticism about Figure's commercial relationship comes amid the company's attempts to raise a $1.5 billion round at a $39.5 billion valuation, sources told Bloomberg, a fifteenfold increase from the $2.6 billion valuation it achieved in February 2024. TechCrunch reported in April that Figure AI has been issuing cease-and-desist letters to secondary market brokers, demanding they stop marketing its shares because they are not authorized to do so. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
RAY MASSEY: New electric Mini Aceman packs a bit of poke
Back in the days when Britain really could do 'stuff', we invented the Mini. And not just A Mini. The Mini. Launched in 1959 by design genius Sir Alec Issigonis, this slight but powerful car became an icon of the Swinging Sixties. Measuring 10ft long (just over 3m) it really was small – a point worth reinforcing for those more used to its 21st century incarnations. It passed into the hands of Germany's BMW in 1994, who helmed the next four generations, the latest of which – the all-electric five-door Mini John Cooper Works (JCW) Aceman – I've just been driving. Measuring more than 4m and weighing 1,820kg, it is significantly heavier than the original's 590kg. Progress! Yet it too is a Mini. It also has a very sporty 'John Cooper' twist, made visible by specific exterior JCW bodywork tweaks, interior trim, and the red, black and white JCW logo. The new range-topping JCW Aceman compact SUV, like all in the Mini Aceman range, is available only as an electric. Powered by a 54.2kWh battery, it develops a maximum 255hp which propels it from rest to 62mph in a sprightly 6.4 seconds and up to 124mph. The front-wheel drive JCW is agile and grippy, giving a good lick on the straight and offering a blast around the Cotswold country lanes where I drove it. But you do need to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel to keep the power under control. The racing-inspired interior with high-sitting seats are great, but the rear is a bit of a squeeze even for four, never mind the claimed five, with a compact 300-litre boot. A 24cm, circular digital screen dominates the central dashboard and holds all the information the driver needs. It has seven driving modes, including 'go-kart' option. Claimed range is 243 miles, though real-world range is likely closer to 200. This Aceman doesn't come cheap: prices start from £40,920, putting it into the higher 'Tesla Tax' bracket for EV Vehicle Excise Duty. My car cost £44,570, thanks to extras including £550 for the British Racing Green paint and £3,800 for a 'Level 3' pack, which included a panoramic glass sunroof, front heated and electric memory seats and adaptive LED headlights. The sibling two-door JCW Electric hatchback starts from £39,120. It may be a compact SUV but the JCW Aceman still a far cry in size from the original 10ft long Mini – being more than a meter longer (4.08m compared to 3.05m). At nearly 2m wide it's also much broader (1.99m compared to 1.41m) and also taller (1.51m against 1.35m). At 1.820kg it's also around three times the unladen weight of the original Mini at 590kg. Roof rails are standard as are the larger 19-inch wheels and sports tyres on which it runs (the hatchback version has 18 inch wheels) with red painted brake callipers. Range finder The JCW Aceman has a claimed range of 243 miles, though real-world range is likely closer to 200 miles. An 80 per cent charge at a fast-charging station takes under 30 minutes, says Mini. Rivals It may be premium and a tad niche, but the JCW Aceman is in a competitive market for feisty compact SUVs at a time when prices generally are dropping because of sluggish sales, the influx of cheaper Chinese rivals, and discounts from car-makers desperate to avoid controversial ZEV mandate fines for selling too few electric cars to meet imposed government targets. Rivals include the Volvo EX30, Abarth 600e, Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, and the Smart #1. Summing up its latest model, Mini notes: 'Over six decades ago designer John Cooper developed a sportier version of the classic Mini, becoming an instant success on racetracks and rally courses globally before the name was cemented in history with three victories at the Monte Carlo Rally across the 1960s. 'John Cooper Works has been transferring this success from the racetrack onto traditional MINI models ever since.' VERDICT The new range-topping JCW Aceman is a fun, fast and agile compact SUV that's marginally more practical - if slightly slower – than its hatchback sibling. But while extremely sprightly, it's go-kart handling does need to be controlled as raw power seems to have been promoted at the expense of performance finesse. And it's not cheap. And while German-owned MINI may still class it as a British 'brand', the new Aceman is currently built 5,000 miles from Oxford in Zhangjiagang, China. There were plans to build it in the UK, along with a reintroduced electric Mini hatchback. But in February BMW paused a planned £600m investment (announced in September 2023) to electrify its Oxford factory, citing 'multiple uncertainties facing the automotive industry' including a slower than expected take-up of EVs. Legend has it the original Mini of the Swinging Sixties never made a profit. That's not a mistake current owners BMW are ever likely to make. Kia unveils new generation Sportage SUV Kia has unveiled the sleek new generation version of its popular Sportage SUV. With mild styling tweaks, the new Sportage has an upgraded interior and offers a choice of petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Despite a slightly shortened wheelbase, it still offers more than one metre of rear legroom, and up to 1,776 litres boot capacity with second-row seats folded. As a rival to Skoda's Karoq and the Nissan Qashqai, expect prices from around £33,000 with first UK deliveries from this autumn. The five-seater SUV comes in three trim levels and with a choice of 17, 18, and 19in wheels, including exclusive designs for the higher spec versions. The Kia Sportage was the UK's second best-selling car last year (after the Ford Puma) and more than 124,000 of the current model have been sold since 2022, with more than 7 million Sportages sold globally.


Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
Japanese company halts battery plant construction in U.S.
FILE - AESC Group CEO Shoichi Matsumoto speaks at the "Topping Out" structural completion milestone ceremony for the 1.6 million-square-foot AESC gigafactory being constructed in the Kentucky Transpark in Bowling Green, Ky., on Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. (Grace Ramey /Daily News via AP) By JEFFREY COLLINS A Japanese company has halted construction on a $1.6 billion factory in South Carolina to help make batteries for electric BMWs, citing 'policy and market uncertainty.' While AESC didn't specify what those problems are, South Carolina's Republican governor said the company is dealing with the potential loss of federal tax breaks for electric vehicle buyers and incentives for EV businesses as well as tariff uncertainties from President Donald Trump's administration. 'What we're doing is urging caution — let things play out because all of the these changes are taking place,' Gov. Henry McMaster said. AESC announced the suspension in construction of its plant in Florence on Thursday, 'Due to policy and market uncertainty, we are pausing construction at our South Carolina facility at this time," the company's statement said. AESC promised to restart construction, although it didn't say when, and vowed to meet its commitment to hire 1,600 workers and invest $1.6 billion. The company said it has already invested $1 billion in the Florence plant. The battery maker based in Japan also has facilities in China, the United Kingdom, France, Spain and Germany. In the U.S., AESC has a plant in Tennessee and is building one in Kentucky. The statement didn't mention any changes with other plants. The South Carolina plant is supposed to sell battery cells to BMW, which is building its own battery assembly site near its giant auto plant in Greer. BMW said the construction pause by AESC doesn't change its plans to open its plant in 2026. AESC has already rolled back its South Carolina plans. They announced a second factory on the Florence site, but then said earlier this year that their first plant should be able to handle BMW's demand. That prompted South Carolina officials to withdraw $111 million in help they planned to provide. The company is still getting $135 million in grants from the South Carolina Department of Commerce and $121 million in bonds and the agency said a construction pause won't prompt them to claw back that offer. South Carolina is investing heavily in electric vehicles. Volkswagen-owned Scout Motors plans to invest more than $4 billion and hire 10,000 people for a plant to build its new electric SUVs scheduled to open in 2027. The state has for decades made big bets on foreign manufacturers like BMW, Michelin and Samsung that have paid off with an economic boom this century, but there is uneasiness that Trump's flirtation with high tariffs might stagger or even ruin those important partnerships. McMaster told people to relax as state and business leaders are talking to Trump's administration and things will work out. 'I think the goal of the president and the administration is to have robust economic growth and prosperity and there is no doubt there has to be changes made in our international trade posture and President Trump is addressing that,' McMaster told reporters Thursday. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.