Economy

Rachel Reeves has defended the UK government's spending plans for Wales, telling BBC Wales she delivered what the Welsh government had asked for.

Opposition parties have been critical of the chancellor's spending review, calling the money earmarked for the railways a "drop in the ocean" compared to what the country needs.

The chancellor said the plan to spend £445m on Welsh railways was a "significant package" and defended the £118m earmarked for coal tips, which is short of estimates previously made by the Welsh government.

Reeves denied the spending review had left Wales short changed and said Wales was getting a "record" amount of cash.

A new hotel is set to be built on the site of a former city centre inn that was knocked down after it became structurally unsafe.

The Central Plaza in Carlisle was demolished by the former city council in 2020 due to fears it could collapse.

Whitbread, the owners of the Premier Inn chain, has acquired the land from Cumberland Council to build a hotel, although plans will need to be approved.

Council leader Mark Fryer said this was an "important step forward for the regeneration for Carlisle city centre".

Whitbread said it intended to submit a planning application for the new hotel this summer with a view to opening by the end of 2028.

The site had been subject to escheat by The Crown Estate, meaning the owners died without a legal heir.

Cumberland Council had been in talks to acquire the site and undertake some work to enable future development, such as repairing the gable wall of the Green Room Theatre, located on West Walls.

A 17-year-old boy and a 36-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after two men were injured in a crash involving an e-bike and a car.

Dorset Police said the crash, in Bournemouth, happened near the Cherford Road junction of Kinson Road, on Thursday at about 13:10 BST.

The car, a blue Mercedes, failed to stop at the scene.

The men, aged in their 20s and both believed to have been on the e-bike, were taken to hospital, one with life-changing injuries, the other with less serious injuries.

The arrested teenager and woman remain in custody, along with a 37-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All three are from Bournemouth, police said.

Det Insp Ian Allen said: "The incident is believed to involve people who are known to each other and is the subject of a detailed investigation by detectives.

"Anyone who saw the manner of driving or riding, of either the car or the bike in the moments before or after the collision, I would ask you to please contact us."

The force also wants to hear from drivers with dashcam footage and residents with doorbell or CCTV footage to come forward.

Police searching for a 37-year-old woman not seen since 12 April have launched a murder investigation.

Paria Veisi, from Cathays, in Cardiff, was last seen at 15:00 BST on Saturday, when she left her place of work driving a black Mercedes GLC 200.

A 41-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman, who are both known to Ms Veisi, were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.

Anyone with information that could help the investigation has been urged to contact South Wales Police's Major Crime Team.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Powell, said he currently "has no proof that Paria is alive".

"We have two people in custody, and at this stage we are not looking for anybody else in connection with this investigation," he said.

He added that the focus of the investigation remained on Paria's movements after she left work in the Canton area of the city.

The force added Ms Veisi's black Mercedes GLC 200 was located on 15 April in Dorchester Avenue, in the Penylan area.

Ms Veisi has long, curly, black hair and was last seen wearing a black zip-up gym top over a red top, black trousers, trainers and was carrying a small handbag.