It forms part of a £15.3m investment in new buses by Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales (TfW) has invested in 30 new buses serving its TrawCymru long distance network. TrawsCymru spans 13 routes across Wales and was created in 2012 to connect communities where rail links are limited.

Some of the new buses are in operation with the majority expected to be in service next month. The Welsh Government, through its transport body TfW, invested £15.3m on 61 vehicles in its 2025/26 financial year.

Following legislation passed earlier this year, TfW will be responsible for the planning of services across Wales through a new bus franchising model. This will see operators bidding for contracts to provide services, aligned with rail services, on bundles of routes identified by TfW. The first franchises will be awarded in south-west Wales next year. The all Wales franchise model is scheduled to be completed with north Wales in 2030.

Around three quarters of public transport journeys in Wales are made by bus.

The 61 new vehicles procured by the Welsh Government also include buses for other services, including Fflecsi, the on-demand transport that operates in various locations across Wales. It has also supplied some new buses to Powys as part of the mid Wales ‘bridge to franchising’ programme where TfW are supporting local authorities to recontract their bus services in the run up to franchising. TrawCymru now has a fleet of 54 buses.

Deputy Transport Minister, Mark Hooper, said: “Transport plays a key role in supporting economic growth by helping people access work, education, and other services.“Simplified fares, more frequent services, connectivity with other bus services and newer vehicles are all part of this service.

“I am really excited to be building on Wales’ existing transport connections with a fleet of new, modern, accessible vehicles designed for comfort and sustainability and I look forward to seeing Welsh communities benefit from these enhanced services.”

Lee Robinson, executive director for regional transport and integration at TfW, said: “TrawsCymru services are vital for communities across Wales, and we’re pleased to introduce these new buses to the network. They will deliver more comfortable, higher-quality journeys for our customers, while supporting a shift from private car use to public transport.

“Crucially, they will also help strengthen access to essential services, including healthcare, education, leisure and employment, opening up greater opportunities for communities across the country.”

On the impact of bus franchising, speaking earlier this year chief executive of TfW, James Price, said: “I think it’s a once-in-a-generation chance to build a bus network that truly reflects the needs of Wales; urban and rural, coast and countryside, young and old, and a network that’s reliable, affordable, flexible and easy to use. To do that, we want to take the best of the private, public and third sectors and combine it as part of a coherent and thought-through proposition for the whole of Wales.”

He said that buses, trains, trams, active travel routes and cars should “come together not in competition, but coherently as one.”

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The under strain car maker is said to be discussing commitments to its Sunderland operation

Car maker Nissan is said to be in advanced talks with the Government over financial support for its Sunderland operation.

Global news service Reuters has reported the Japanese manufacturer is discussing backing in return for commitments to long term investment in its Wearside plant. Grants, tax breaks and subsidies are said to be on the table in exchange for protection of jobs.

The news follows a recent announcement by Nissan that it is looking to partner with Chinese brand Chery – the maker of brands such as Jaecoo – to build its models at Sunderland. It could see Chery vehicles roll off the factory’s production Line One, which was paused earlier this year amid significant restructuring across Nissan.

Such a deal is set against widespread cost saving measures at Nissan, which is closing a number of factories globally and shedding thousands of jobs, including some in Europe. The efforts are in response to hefty losses and intense competition from global rivals.

Nissan’s Sunderland plant employs 6,000 people and is widely seen to be among the most productive in Nissan’s worldwide stable. It has received significant investment in recent years, including spending to support production of the new generation electric Leaf, which began late last year, and a much wider multibillion-pound vision to make the factory a flagship site for electric vehicle making through use of renewable energy and nearby battery production.

However, earlier this year it emerged that Nissan had decided not to produce drivetrains at the nearby Jatco factory, which was announced in early 2025 as the result of a £48m investment plan including £12m of funding from the Automotive Transformation Fund. About 80% of the Jatco facility’s capacity was to be given over to Nissan products, to be used in the building of electric models.

In recent weeks, car makers and MPs have called for the Government to bring forward a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate which legally require rising sales of electric vehicles from manufacturers. Under the rules introduced in 2024 before being relaxed last year, car and van makers must make EVs 80% of the cars they sell by 2030, rising to 100% by 2035.

Nissan did not comment directly on the report of talks with the Government. But in a statement, a spokesperson said: “We are proud of our history in the UK including our manufacturing operations at our Sunderland Plant. We have a strong and collaborative relationship with the UK Government and look forward to continuing to work together moving forward.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Nissan is an important investor and long‑standing partner in the North East and the UK, and we continue to work closely with the company to support jobs, drive growth and secure the future of the automotive sector. We are taking significant action to back British carmakers and protect jobs, including £4bn of capital and R&D funding for zero emission vehicle manufacturing, lowering electricity bills for manufacturers and launching a £2bn Electric Car Grant supporting drivers to save up to £3,750 off the cost of a new EV.

“We’re committed to the ZEV Mandate and we’ve always said we’ll review it to ensure we’re taking a pragmatic and balanced approach that supports British industry and continues to drive investment.”

UFC is all in on America 250. 

UFC announced the launch of exclusive limited-edition apparel collections with four brands that have integrated themselves into streetwear culture: Anti Social Social Club, Warren Lotas, ID Supply Co., and Culture Kings. 

The limited-edition apparel collections made their debut on the White House South Lawn on Sunday during the UFC Freedom 250 spectacle and have flown off the shelves.

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Model wears a part of the UFC Freedom 250 collection, which released ahead of the fights on the White House South Lawn.  (UFC / Unknown)

The collaborations were a massive hit, as they set an all-time UFC merchandise record for a single event. They also doubled the company’s previous revenue record.

Within the collection there are T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and more that combine America 250 and UFC into one. 

Anti Social Social Club is a Los Angeles-based brand whose deliberately limited released helped grow a massive and dedicated following in streetwear. For the UFC Freedom 250 collection, the Anti Social Social Club brought its signature aesthetic to the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. 

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An Anti Social Social Club shirt that is part of the UFC Freedom 250 collection.  (UFC / Unknown)

Warren Lotas is also a Los Angeles-based artist and designer whose dark aesthetic, unapologetic style and hand-drawn imagery have become iconic, making him one of the most recognizable and sought-after names in streetwear. He released a fighter-themed T-shirt collection in the UFC Freedom 250 drop. 

ID Supply Co. the premium merchandise house and brand licensing group, created a graphic T-shirt line that showcases the historic UFC Freedom 250 card.

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UFC Freedom 250 hat, made by the Anti Social Social Club.  (UFC / Unknown)

Culture Kings offered UFC Freedom 250 fighter-themed T-shirts as the final part of the campaign. The collections are available on the UFC Store’s website but are quickly selling out. 

The UFC Freedom Spectacle saw 14 fighters compete in the cage, with an estimated 4,300 people in attendance. 

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Qantas plans to launch what it says will be the world’s longest nonstop commercial flight in October 2027, connecting Sydney and London with a journey expected to last up to 22 hours.

The Australian airline announced Wednesday that nonstop flights between the two cities will begin operating as part of its long-awaited Project Sunrise initiative, which aims to connect Australia’s east coast directly with major global destinations.

Qantas unveiled the first of its specially configured Airbus A350-1000ULR aircraft at Airbus’ manufacturing facility in Toulouse, France. The aircraft has been modified for ultra-long-haul travel and includes an additional 20,000-liter fuel tank that allows it to travel more than 16,000 kilometers, or nearly 10,000 miles, nonstop.

The Sydney-London route will become the first nonstop service between Australia’s east coast and the United Kingdom. According to Qantas, the flights will reduce travel time by as much as four hours compared with existing one-stop itineraries.

GSA SELLS OLD POST OFFICE BUILDING IN WASHINGTON, ONCE HOME TO TRUMP HOTEL

Qantas aircraft at Sydney Airport. April 10th, 2026 (Wolter Peeters / The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Since we first flew the Kangaroo Route in 1947, where we stopped seven times on the way to London, every generation of aircraft has taken a stop out of the journey,” Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement. “Today, we’re taking out the last one.”

The launch marks a significant milestone for Project Sunrise, an initiative first announced by Qantas in 2017 to push the limits of commercial long-haul travel.

Qantas said the A350-1000ULR aircraft were designed specifically for the project and will carry 238 passengers across four cabin classes. The airline plans to take delivery of 12 of the aircraft.

A Jetstar Airlines Boeing 787-8 plane and a Qantas Airways Boeing 737-800 plane line up with other aircraft on the runway at Sydney International Airport on a windy day in Sydney on June 25, 2025.  (DAVID GRAY/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

The carrier said nonstop Sydney-London flights will go on sale in February 2027 ahead of the service launch later that year.

The route is expected to surpass Singapore Airlines’ nonstop service between Singapore and New York, currently regarded as one of the world’s longest regularly scheduled commercial flights.

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Qantas cited recent research showing growing demand for ultra-long-haul travel, with 70% of surveyed Australians indicating they would consider booking a nonstop flight of that length. Among premium travelers, interest rose to 80%, according to the airline.

A Qantas Airbus A330 aircraft lands. (Qantas / Fox News)

The company said more than 1.7 million passengers have flown on its existing nonstop long-haul routes since 2018, including services linking Perth with London, Rome and Paris.

Qantas plans to expand Project Sunrise beyond London. The airline confirmed that Sydney-to-New York will be the next route added to the network, with additional details expected next year.

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The airline said pilots, cabin crew and maintenance personnel are already undergoing training ahead of the aircraft’s arrival and entry into service.

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Wales has nearly 500,000 people classed as being economically inactive

Unemployment in Wales has risen slightly but remains below the rate for the UK as a whole.

According to the ONS, unemployment in Wales was up 0.3% in the three months from February to April to 3.8%. For the UK unemployment was down 0.3% to 4.9% on the previous quarter.

On the three months to March UK unemployment was down from 5% .Of the UK nations and regions unemployment was only lower than in Wales in the south east of England (also 3.8%) and Northern Ireland at 1.7% – although the province has the highest economic inactivity rate in the UK. The highest unemployment rate remains London at 6.6%.

On the previous quarter the number of unemployed in Wales was up 5,000 to 59,000. On the year it was down 14,000. For the UK it was down 105,000 to 1.6 million, but up 124,000 on the year.

Wales has the third lowest employment rate in the UK of working age adults, behind the north east of England (71.1%) and Northern Ireland (71.9%) at 72.3%. The rate for the UK as a whole is 75%.

The number of working age people in Wales classed as economically inactive – so not actively seeking employment – was 24.8%. It was only higher in Northern Ireland at 26.8%. For the UK as a whole it was 21%. The number of economically inactive, which includes those on long-term sick, in Wales stands at 484,000 – which was down 11,000 on the quarter. Amongst young people, aged 16 to 24, some 17% – higher than the UK level -are classed at Neets (not in education, employment or training.)

As with the previous Labour Welsh Government, the new Plaid Cymru administration said say that the ONS figures, based on its Labour Force Survey, had to taken with a degree of caution. While the ONS, headquartered in Newport, is continuing its work on improving the robustness of the survey, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity Adam Price is seeking a meeting to discuss the reliability of the data.

A spokesman for the Welsh Government said; “As a newly elected Government we are committed to driving investment, innovation and higher productivity across Wales.

We have announced a National Productivity Goal to close the gap with the rest of the UK and help unlock the full potential of the Welsh economy.

“By focusing on productivity, we will deliver more jobs, higher pay, stronger businesses and thriving communities.

“This goal will give direction to our new Welsh innovation and development agency, shaping how we support businesses, develop skills and invest in the foundations of a stronger, more competitive Welsh economy.

“Evidence from a range of sources suggest the labour market in Wales is following a similar trend to the UK as a whole.

Amid continued interventions from the Office for National Statistics to increase the quality of the Labour Force Survey data, we continue to recommend using the LFS data alongside the trends in other measures of the labour market to gain a clearer picture of the Welsh labour market.

Latest figures from the Annual Population Survey (APS) show the unemployment rate for people aged 16 and over in Wales was 4.5% compared to the UK rate of 4.4%. It also shows Wales’ employment rate is relatively close to the all-time high.

“The Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, Adam Price, is keen to meet with the ONS to discuss the reliability of Labour Market data for Wales.”

On the UK picture Liz McKeown, ONS director of economic statistics, said: “The labour market remained broadly stable in the latest quarter, with further softening evident in some measures.

Payroll numbers continued to fall over this period, with new recruits at their lowest level in five years.”

She added there were “some signs of workers moving into self‑employment”, while the vacancies decline signalled firms are “becoming more cautious about taking on new staff”.

The ONS said its vacancies survey showed some firms are putting recruitment on hold due to economic uncertainty and higher labour costs.