wijoyly Ministers warned of cuts as ‘every pound’ of spending to face reviewA rival south Wales to London rail service to First Great Western has a new operator. Grand Union Trains, which secured approval to run an open access service from Carmarthen to London Paddington from the Office of Rail and Road two years ago, has sold the new route to transport giant FirstGroup. The daily service is expected to launch in 2027. It follows on from Grand Union’s also selling its open access rights for a new Stirling to Euston (London) train service to FirstGroup in September. That service is scheduled to start next May. The value of the south Wales to Paddington 10-year licence deal has not been disclosed. However, it is understood that Grand Union had explored striking a deal with the Welsh Government ’s transport body, Transport for Wales. TfW, which operates services on the Wales & Borders network. For the latest analysis of the biggest stories, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . The strong projected passenger numbers between south Wales and London, including higher paying first class commuting customers, could have reduced the level of rail operating public subsidy TfW receives from the Welsh Government. One of the barriers to a possible deal was that the cost of new rolling stock for the route, through a leasing deal, would have been scored against the Welsh Government’s block grant due to a ONS classification. FirstGroup will keep to Grand Union’s aim of launching the service in December 2027. It will confirm an order for new rolling stock in due course. Grand Union were looking to secure a leasing deal of around £110m, financed over 10 years, for four five-car trains built by Hitachi. Grand Union had planned for five trains a day in both directions from Carmarthen to Paddington, stopping at Llanelli , Gowerton, Cardiff Central, Newport , Severn Tunnel and Bristol Parkway. They also planned was to add a stop at Cardiff Parkway, if the proposed mainline train station on the outskirts of the capital at St Mellons is realised. The Welsh Government is still “actively considering” the project for planning with its integrated 900,000 sq ft business park. Confirming the sale of its for its Carmarthen to London route managing director of Grand Union, Ian Yeowart, said: “We are confident that the strength and experience of FirstGroup with its experienced and focused management and delivery team, alongside the award-winning provision of its current open access operations, will provide an excellent service for passengers.” Find out about traffic and travel issues where you live:

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They were all exceptional – Mikel Arteta loved seeing Arsenal run riot in LisbonDEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli aircraft struck a sprawling tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, according to a local health official, setting off fires in the coastal tent city that Israel has designated a humanitarian zone but which has been repeatedly targeted. The Israeli military said it struck senior Hamas militants “involved in terrorist activities” in the area, without providing additional details, and said it took precautions to minimize harm to civilians. The strikes were the latest deadly assault in the war-wracked Gaza Strip , where Israel's offensive against Hamas is nearly 14 months old and showing no end in sight, despite international efforts to revive negotiations toward a ceasefire. The Biden administration has pledged to make a new push to get a ceasefire for Gaza after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to end more than a year of cross-border fighting. And President-elect Donald Trump demanded in a social media post this week the release of hostages held by Hamas before he is sworn into office in January. The strike Wednesday in Muwasi, a desolate area with few public services that holds hundreds of thousands of displaced people , also wounded at least 28 people, according to Atif Al-Hout, the director of Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. An Associated Press journalist at the hospital counted at least 15 bodies, but he said reaching a precise number was difficult because many of the dead were dismembered, some without heads or badly burned. Videos and photos shared widely on social media showed flames and a column of black smoke rising into the night sky, as well as twisted metal tent frames and shredded fabric. Palestinian men searched through the still-burning wreckage, shouting “Over here guys!” Further away, civilians stood at a distance, observing the destruction. The military said the strikes had set off secondary explosions, indicating explosives present in the area had detonated. It was not possible to independently confirm the Israeli claims, and the strikes could also have ignited fuel, cooking gas canisters or other materials in the camp. The strikes followed earlier Israeli attacks on other parts of the Gaza Strip that killed eight people, four of them children, according to Palestinian medics. The military said it had struck “terrorist targets” in a series of strikes. On Wednesday, Israel said its forces recovered the body of one hostage who was captured alive during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, yet who Israel believes was killed by his captors. Israel believes about a third of the remaining 100 hostages are dead. The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 people. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,500 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were combatants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. Israel says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the militants often operate in residential areas and are known to position tunnels, rocket launchers and other infrastructure near homes, schools and mosques. The United States, Qatar and Egypt have spent much of the past year trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages, but those efforts stalled as Israel rejected Hamas’ demand for a complete withdrawal from the territory . Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Jerusalem contributed to this report. Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/mideast-wars