Motorists who drive sports utility vehicles (SUVs) or other large vehicles could be charged more to park in Cardiff, if changes to parking permits are approved.

The city would be split into three new zones with resident permits in the city centre scrapped and students entitled to fewer permits.

Students have said they are worried about their safety in the dark if they cannot park near their homes.

The 10-year plan affects residents, commuters and visitors but new permits for carers and NHS workers would be created. A decision will be made by Cardiff council on Thursday but the cost of permits would be decided at a later date.

The plan is aimed at cutting congestion and encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport when travelling in and around the city.

It is hoped the plan would also reduce air pollution. Drivers of diesel cars would have to pay a surcharge to encourage them to switch to less polluting vehicles.

Resident permits in the city centre would be scrapped and existing permits would be phased out when the holder moves.

But students Beca Hughes, 19, Anna Griffith, 20 and Erin Parry, 19 said cars are essential for some.

"I think a lot of people are reliant on permits," Beca said.

But she believes fewer students would bring their cars to university if there were fewer permits.

"You notice a lot more people parking on double-yellow lines, you can struggle getting a parking space."

Erin said: "We've got a medical student in our house, so she uses her car to go back and forth to the hospital."

Beca said people may feel unsafe in the dark.

"They might not be guaranteed that safety if they can't park right outside their house," she said.

"You can't really park outside your house you have to park two streets down," said Joe Liston, 19, a sports coach and student.

Joe said he is "not really a fan" or visitor permit allowances being halved for students.

"I think it's a bit unfair really, I need my car for a job, I work in schools as well as being a student, one day I may be in Caerphilly the next in Newport," he said.

"How do you expect me to do that without a car.

"You can't quickly find a train, or I can't really afford to pay for a taxi, there's so many other people who do the same as me."

Cardiff would be split into three zones - known as parking management areas.

• The City and Civic Centre
• The Inner Area
• The Outer Area

Each will have its own rules.

• The City and Civic Centre would have no residential permits
• The Inner Area would be a mix of permits and permitted bays, although not for businesses
• The Outer Area would allow all permits, but the times you would need a permit may vary

'Double-whammy' in car tax and parking charges

"I think they need to have the infrastructure in place," said Kathryn Williams, managing director of KEW Planning consultancy.

She said people may not like the "double-whammy" of being charged more for their SUV, when they are already charged more in car tax.

"Is it going to be a deterrent ? I think people will need to be extremely careful when they're coming into the city," she added.

"I think there'll be concern from retailers and people with businesses in the city centre.

"I don't think the communication around the consultation has been that successful, as somebody who works in the industry, we haven't been notified."

Ms Williams said there needs to be improvements to public transport.

She said: "I think we really need to look at improving things like our bus services, run a little bit longer, bit more frequent, same with the trains.

"I would use the train far more if they ran a bit later."

She added there were "safety issues" with cycling in parts of the city.

"It's a good idea," said Thomas Chu who believes it is right to reduce city centre parking.

He used to pay £120 a month for a parking space for his flat.

"It's not suitable for too many cars around here," he said, adding it would cut pollution as well.

"If we didn't have a car park at our office it would be a real inconvenience," said Georgina Lawrence who works in Cardiff.

But she said she does not commute around Cardiff by car "because it is quite a pain".

"I had quite a shock the other day coming in from west Wales way - the congestion was atrocious," she said.

New carer permits

Under the new parking plan new permit types would be created.

• Essential Service Permits for NHS and council staff.
• Community Permits for places of worship and schools.
• Business Permits - but only in the Outer Area.
• Carer Permits for professional and unpaid carers.

A surcharge would be introduced for motorists with "oversized and highly polluting vehicles", said the council.

Motorists with cars weighing more than 2,400kg, such as large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) will have to pay more for a permit.

Motorists with cars weighing more than 3,500kg will not be eligible for a permit.

Cardiff council said the new plan would "improve the quality of life for residents and visitors" and would "prioritises blue badge holders".

Motorcyclists would now require a permit to park in resident bays.

If the changes are approved on Thursday, there will be another consultation before they are introduced.

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France's new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has bought himself breathing space after winning two no-confidence motions tabled by the opposition.

In the tightest vote, a motion sponsored by the far left fell 18 votes short of the 289 needed to bring him down.

It means that after just five days in office, Lecornu has survived a first major ordeal in parliament and can now focus on the task of passing the 2026 budget.

Any relief for the prime minister is likely to be short-lived, with the far left and far right still gunning to bring him down. And the Socialists, who threw a lifeline in the no-confidence motions, have made clear they will not be so indulgent next time round.

Also, any tactical victory enabling the government to endure for now is more than offset by the huge damage to France's reputation caused by weeks of confusion and capitulation.

Appointed by President Emmanuel Macron four weeks ago, then re-appointed in chaotic scenes on Friday after he resigned on Monday, Lecornu only survives thanks to major concessions made to the left.

To buy the support of the Socialist Party, which has 65 or so MPs, the prime minister promised to freeze Macron's most important economic reform of his second term – the raising of the retirement age to 64.

But he also made another, possibly more important, gift to the opposition, which has big implications for the chances of obtaining a budget in time for the end-of-year deadline.

By pledging not to resort to the constitutional device known as the 49:3 – which lets governments force through laws without a vote – Lecornu handed ultimate control over the budget to the parties in parliament.

It is a huge shift in power, reflecting the decline of presidential authority since Macron's botched parliamentary dissolution of July 2024. For many observers it heralds a return, for good or ill, to the party politicking that was a hallmark of the pre-1958 Fourth Republic.

By assuring MPs that they and not the government would have the last word on the future budget, Lecornu managed to convince the Socialists that he was serious about marking a real "rupture" from previous Macronite administrations.

But he may also have surrendered any prospect of the kind of belt-tightening debt reduction that the money markets and the European Union are demanding.

Read more: Macron reappoints Lecornu as French PM after days of turmoil

• Time may be running out for master of clocks Macron: What next for France?

The draft budget tabled by Lecornu on Tuesday aims to reduce the deficit to 4.7% of economic output (GDP) by making savings of €30bn (£26bn), with a squeeze on spending in the health sector and local administration.

But the Socialists have joined the rest of the left and the far-right in denouncing the text as a betrayal of the less well-off.

Party leader Olivier Faure said that he would have no compunction about supporting a new vote of censure, if offending parts of the budget are not removed.

France's National Assembly has been split three ways for the last 15 months, with a centre-right bloc of under 200 MPs facing a left-wing alliance of about the same size and a far-right bloc of about 140, plus some independents.

None of the three prime ministers since then has been able to find a reliable majority.

Weeks of bickering in Paris have triggered warnings about the public's growing disillusionment with politics - the spectacle appearing to confirm the notion that the prime aim of most politicians is simply to stay in power.

President Macron, who is blamed for the crisis by most French voters, has seen his popularity ratings slump to just 14%. He has been in office for eight years, and the far right and far left have called for his resignation before his second term ends in 18 months.

According to his one-time adviser, the veteran essayist and confidant of presidents Alain Minc, Macron "must now go down as the worst president of the Fifth Republic".

Minc said Macron had come to office promising to act as a bulwark against the far right but he had left National Rally at the gates of power.

"If you look around us," said Minc, "the Germans are petrified about what a French collapse will do to the economy. The British are petrified about the strategic implications. The Italians are laughing at us, because we always laughed at them."

"In America, President Trump is saying that smooth-talker Macron has got what he deserves. Only in Russia are they smiling."

The most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards on 14 September, his family has said.

The 66-year-old - serving life for planning deadly attacks against Israelis - was allegedly assaulted by eight guards during a transfer between Ganot and Megiddo prisons.

The Israel Prison Service told the BBC: "These are false claims (fake). The Israel Prison Service operates in accordance with the law, while ensuring the safety and health of all inmates".

Barghouti's son, Arab, told the BBC the family had received testimony from five separate detainees who were released this week who heard Barghouti's account of the attack. He said the family was "horrified".

Barghouti was allegedly handcuffed by the guards, put on the floor, kicked and beaten.

"They focused on the head area, they focused on the chest area and also on the legs," he said. "He stayed unconscious for hours, he was bleeding, and he could hardly walk."

Arab said he believed the attack took place as his father was transferred between the two prisons, which are in southern and northern Israel, because there were no surveillance cameras to capture it.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted by an Israeli court in 2004 of planning attacks in which five civilians were killed.

The detainees who told the family of the attack had been released as part of Monday's hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, Arab said.

Barghouti's name was at the top of a list of seven high-profile prisoners whose release Hamas had sought in return for the 20 living Israeli hostages the group was holding in Gaza - but Israel refused to include him.

He is seen by many as the one man who could unite Palestinians - and the various Palestinian political factions - across both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Opinion polls have consistently indicated that he is the most popular Palestinian leader, and that Palestinians would vote for him in a presidential election ahead of the current Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas leaders.

Barghouti remains a senior figure in the Fatah faction that dominates the PA, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control. He has been held in solitary confinement since October 2023.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who is in charge of the prison service, denied Barghouti had been assaulted, but said he was "proud" Barghouti's prison conditions had worsened.

In August, a video emerged showing Ben Gvir taunting Barghouti in his cell.

The 13-second-long video clip was the first time he had been publicly seen in years. He appeared aged and gaunt.

In the clip, Ben Gvir tells him: "You will not win. He who messes with the people of Israel, he who will murder our children, he who will murder our women, we will wipe him out".

As Barghouti tries to interject, Ben Gvir adds: "You need to know this, throughout history."

The PA condemned the video. Its Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh described it as "the epitome of psychological, moral and physical terrorism."

India's foreign ministry has said it is "not aware" of a phone call in which US President Donald Trump claimed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil.

On Wednesday, Trump said his Indian counterpart had "assured me today" that it would end Russian oil imports, a move the US has pushed for in a bid to increase economic pressure on the Kremlin to end the war in Ukraine.

But asked about the call on Thursday, an Indian government spokesman cast doubt on Trump's account, saying he was "not aware of any conversation between the two leaders" taking place the previous day.

The Indian government had earlier said discussions were still "ongoing" with the US over its Russian oil purchases.

India has become a key energy customer for Russia since the outbreak of the war, partly allowing the Kremlin to withstand the impact of Ukrainian allies slashing oil and gas imports, the country's biggest export market.

The Trump administration has put public and diplomatic pressure on India to end its support for the Russian energy market as it seeks to increase the Kremlin's economic isolation and force an end to the war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he had received assurances from Modi on Wednesday that India would halt its purchases "within a short period of time".

In its initial response, the Indian government did not directly dispute that the call between Trump and Modi had taken place. It read: "Our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective."

The Indian government's second response on Thursday raises further questions over whether a deal has been struck between Washington and Delhi.

BBC News has contacted the White House and State Department for comment.

Delhi's continued reliance on Russian crude oil, which it imports at a discount, have become a key source of contention in US-India relations under the Trump administration, which has taken a tougher line on the Ukraine war after Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to agree a peace deal with the White House.

India is second only to China for how much Russian energy it imports, funding which helps to prevent the collapse of Russia's critical fossil fuel industry.

Modi's government has accused Ukraine's allies of hypocrisy, pointing to ongoing trade with Russia, including energy imports to the European Union, albeit at reduced levels.

In its latest round of sanctions unveiled this week, the UK government said it would target a major Indian oil refinery as it "continue(s) to get facilitate getting Russian oil onto global markets". Officials said India's Nayara Energy Limited imported 100 million barrels of Russian crude oil worth more than $5bn (£3.75bn) in 2024 alone.

The British Library has honoured late Irish writer Oscar Wilde by reissuing a reader's card in his name, 130 years after his original was revoked following his conviction for "gross indecency".

The celebrated novelist, poet and playwright was excluded from the library's reading room in 1895 over his charge for having had homosexual relationships, which was a criminal offence at the time.

The new card, which will be collected by his grandson, author Merlin Holland, on Thursday, is intended to "acknowledge the injustices and immense suffering" Wilde faced, the library said.

Mr Holland said the new card is a "lovely gesture of forgiveness and I'm sure his spirit will be touched and delighted".

The decision to revoke Wilde's pass for the library - then the British Museum reading room - was recorded without comment in the trustees' minutes for 15 June 1895.

He had been in prison for three weeks at the time after being handed a two-year prison sentence with hard labour.

The author was convicted after he lost a libel trial against Lord Queensberry, who had accused him of being homosexual after discovering that his son, Lord Alfred Douglas, aka Bosie, was Wilde's lover.

The library regulations at the time said anyone convicted of a crime should have their card revoked.

'Letter from prison meant so much'

The British Library holds handwritten drafts of some of Wilde's most famous plays including The Importance of Being Ernest, An Ideal Husband, A Woman of No Importance and Lady Windermere's Fan.

Its collection also includes De Profundis, the letter he wrote to Bosie from Reading Gaol.

Mr Holland, the only living descendant of Wilde, will collect the new card at a ceremony at the venue on what would have been his grandfather's 171st birthday.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Thursday, Mr Holland said he felt both "proud" of his grandfather and slightly burderened by the responsibility of handling his legacy.

"People will so often write in to me and say, 'I cannot tell you how much your grandfather's De Profundis meant to me'," he explained.

"It has a note of positivity at the end... he's going to come out of prison and do something again.

"And people have written to me saying, 'In a moment of terrible depression about my own life I read De Profundis, and I just wanted you to know that your grandfather's letter from prison meant so much to me'."

Dame Carol Black, chair of the British Library, described Wilde as "one of the most significant literary figures of the nineteenth century".

She said that by reissuing his library card, "we hope to not only honour Wilde's memory but also acknowledge the injustices and immense suffering he faced as a result of his conviction".

She added that they were "delighted" to welcome his grandson - who is the author of a new book, After Oscar: The Legacy of a Scandal - to receive the library card on his behalf.

Clashes between anti-government protesters and riot police in the Peruvian capital, Lima, have left a 32-year-old man dead and more than 100 people injured, including many police officers.

The protests come less than a week after José Jerí was sworn in as the interim president following the impeachment of his predecessor in office, Dina Boluarte.

Wednesday's demonstrations were organised by mainly young Peruvians who demand that the country's political class do more to combat high levels of crime and corruption.

President Jerí said the protest had been infiltrated by criminals set on causing chaos and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the protester's death.

He wrote on X that he "regretted the death" of Eduardo Ruiz Sáenz, but did not give further details as to what caused it.

Ruth Luque, a left-wing member of Congress, meanwhile said that "preliminary information" indicated the hip hop artist had been killed by a bullet wound to the chest.

Luque posted a photo of herself on social media in which she can be seen speaking to a member of staff at the hospital to which many of those injured in the clashes were taken.

Local media quoted witnesses who said they saw the musician being shot by a man they accused of being a plainclothes police officer.

President Jerí said an investigation would be launched "to determine objectively what happened and who is responsible".

Jerí of the conservative Somos Perú party was sworn into office on Friday last week after the then-President, Dina Boluarte, was impeached on grounds of "permanent moral incapacity".

Jerí is the seventh president to lead Peru in the space of eight years.

As head of parliament, he was next in line to fill the post left vacant following Boluarte's ouster, to serve out the remainder of her term until the presidential election scheduled for April of next year.

But within days of him taking office, anger at what protesters call the "political class" has spread with thousands taking to the streets to demand "a clean slate".

The protesters also demanded that the government do more to combat corruption and crime, specifically a wave of extortions which has seen bus and taxi drivers threatened by gangs.

Young activists organised protests in several major cities and demanded that Jerí step aside in favour of an independent lawmaker.

In a message uploaded to TikTok, one of them calling himself "Lando" accused Jerí's party of having propped up Boluarte, whose popularity rates were in the single figures before her removal.

Somos Perú, which in the past had backed Boluarte, switched sides last week and joined the chorus of those demanding she be impeached.

Analysts say that the armed attack by gunmen on a band on 8 October and the outcry it triggered meant that lawmakers who had previously supported Boluarte felt her position had become untenable.

The ex-president remains in Peru and said earlier this week that she would stay in the country pending several investigations into alleged abuses of power, which she denies.

Operations have been suspended at Kenya's main airport after thousands of mourners turned out to receive the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a day after he died in India.

Large crowds of mourners carrying twigs and palm branches breached security at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) immediately after the body of the former leader arrived on Thursday morning.

Authorities said mourners gained access to restricted areas, prompting a "precautionary closure" to allow security teams to restore order and ensure safety.

"Members of the public and travellers are advised to remain calm and avoid the airport area until further notice," the aviation agency said.

Because of the unexpectedly huge crowds, the public viewing ceremony for his body has been moved to Nairobi's Moi International Sports Centre, rather than inside Parliament.

• Obituary: A founding father of Kenya's multi-party democracy
• How Odinga's court challenges have improved Kenya's elections

The 80-year-old former prime minister collapsed during a morning walk in India on Wednesday morning and he was taken to Devamatha Hospital, about 50km (30 miles) east of the port city of Kochi.

The hospital said he had suffered a cardiac arrest, did not respond to resuscitation measures and was "declared dead at 09:52" local time (04:22 GMT).

Kenyan politicians and world leaders have been sending their condolences, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described Odinga as a "towering statesman and a cherished friend of India".

Kenya's President William Ruto said the veteran politician was a "beacon of courage" and "father of our democracy".

A seven-day period of mourning has been declared. Odinga will also be accorded a state funeral with full military honours, Ruto said.

Odinga spent many years as an opposition leader, losing five presidential campaigns, most recently three years ago.

Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica

The government has published witness statements submitted in the now-collapsed case against two men accused of spying for China.

Deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins provided three witness statements to prosecutors - one in 2023 and two earlier this year - on whether China had been regarded as a threat to national security at the time of the alleged offences.

Last month, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) unexpectedly dropped charges against the two men, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry, both of whom deny the allegations.

Mr Cash, a former parliamentary researcher, and Mr Berry were charged under the Official Secrets Act in April 2024, when the Conservatives were in power.

They were accused of gathering and providing information prejudicial to the safety and interests of the state between December 2021 and February 2023.

The director of public prosecutions has said the case collapsed because evidence could not be obtained from the government referring to China as a national security threat.

He said while there was sufficient evidence when charges were originally brought against the two men, a precedent set by another spying case earlier this year meant China would need to have been labelled a "threat to national security" at the time of the alleged offences.

The Conservatives have claimed the government did not provide sufficient evidence because it does not want to damage relations with Beijing.

However, the Labour government has argued that because the alleged offences took place under the Conservatives, the prosecution could only be based on their stance on China at the time.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions earlier, Sir Keir Starmer said: "Under this government, no minister or special adviser played any role in the provision of evidence."

The publication of the documents followed pressure from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, who had called for them to be released.

On Tuesday, senior government figures had suggested that the CPS had told them publishing the witness statements would be "inappropriate".

But the CPS later made clear it would not stand in the way if ministers chose to put the government's evidence in the public domain.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she is planning "targeted action to deal with cost of living challenges" in next month's Budget.

Speaking to the BBC in Washington, she said it was the job of both the government and the Bank of England to reduce inflation.

The UK's inflation rate is forecast to be the highest among the G7 group of developed nations this year and next.

The BBC understands that the government could intervene to bring down energy bills, for example, by cutting the current 5% rate of VAT charged on energy.

Another option is to reduce some of the regulatory levies currently added to bills.

The government will receive the next draft from the official forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), on Monday, which will reveal how much space there is for such a measure.

The expectation from most analysts is that Reeves will have to announce tax rises or spending cuts in order to meet her self-imposed borrowing rules

Earlier on Thursday, the Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated there was a £22bn gap for the chancellor to fill, which is at the lower end of expectations.

"There's a shared job between the Bank of England and the government to bear down further on some of the causes of inflation," she said.

While much of the focus has been on likely tax rises, the chancellor said the latest information from the OBR had not changed her commitment to manifesto promises not to raise rates on income tax, VAT or National Insurance.

She blamed an "uncertain world" with rising geopolitical and trade concerns for the Budget tax moves, likely to be focused on those "with the broadest shoulders".

Referring to the concerns about the UK's economic relations with China she said: "Our national security always come first."

Asked about accepting the US offer to join it in its trade battle with China, she said she was "very concerned" by China's move to restrict the export of critical minerals and urged the Chinese government "not to put up barriers and restrict access".

Reeves said the move was "bad for the global economy and creates further headwinds".

"I believe there are areas where we must challenge China, but there are also important opportunities to sell into Chinese markets, including financial services and other areas of the economy. We've got to get that balance right."

The chancellor also confirmed she was working with G7 counterparts "on our own critical minerals strategy, so that we are less reliant".

Reeves also acknowledged that the price the NHS pays for medicines could go up as a result of ongoing negotiations with the Trump administration and its drugs companies, in return for lower tariffs and investment.

Some of the world's largest drug companies have said recently that they are either pausing or scrapping projects in the UK, with some blaming the low prices they are receiving.

Last month, Science Minister Patrick Vallance said the price the NHS pays for medicines would need to rise to stop companies and pharmaceutical investment leaving the UK.

Reeves told the BBC: "We have seen because of the pricing regime, that clinical trials, new drugs have not been offered in the UK in the way that they are in other European countries.

"We want to make sure that people getting treatment from the NHS are able to access the best life-saving drugs in the world. And so we are looking at all of that, and… looking to secure more investment into Britain."

A decision on whether to approve China's application for a new super-embassy in London has been delayed again by the government.

Housing Secretary Steve Reed had been due to rule on the application by 21 October, but the deadline has been pushed back to 10 December.

It is the second time the government has delayed a decision on the controversial site.

A ruling had originally been due by 9 September after ministers took control of the process from Tower Hamlets, the local council, last year.

China bought the site of the proposed new embassy, at Royal Mint Court, near the Tower of London, for £255m in 2018.

At 20,000 square metres, the proposed complex would be the biggest embassy in Europe if it goes ahead.

But Beijing's plans for the sprawling new embassy have sparked fears its location - near London's financial district - could pose an espionage risk.

Pro-democracy campaigners from Hong Kong also fear Beijing could use the huge embassy to harass political opponents and even detain them.

And residents nearby also fear it would pose a security risk to them and attract large protests.

Motorists who drive sports utility vehicles (SUVs) or other large vehicles could be charged more to park in Cardiff, if changes to parking permits are approved.

The city would be split into three new zones with resident permits in the city centre scrapped and students entitled to fewer permits.

Students have said they are worried about their safety in the dark if they cannot park near their homes.

The 10-year plan affects residents, commuters and visitors but new permits for carers and NHS workers would be created. A decision will be made by Cardiff council on Thursday but the cost of permits would be decided at a later date.

The plan is aimed at cutting congestion and encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport when travelling in and around the city.

It is hoped the plan would also reduce air pollution. Drivers of diesel cars would have to pay a surcharge to encourage them to switch to less polluting vehicles.

Resident permits in the city centre would be scrapped and existing permits would be phased out when the holder moves.

But students Beca Hughes, 19, Anna Griffith, 20 and Erin Parry, 19 said cars are essential for some.

"I think a lot of people are reliant on permits," Beca said.

But she believes fewer students would bring their cars to university if there were fewer permits.

"You notice a lot more people parking on double-yellow lines, you can struggle getting a parking space."

Erin said: "We've got a medical student in our house, so she uses her car to go back and forth to the hospital."

Beca said people may feel unsafe in the dark.

"They might not be guaranteed that safety if they can't park right outside their house," she said.

"You can't really park outside your house you have to park two streets down," said Joe Liston, 19, a sports coach and student.

Joe said he is "not really a fan" or visitor permit allowances being halved for students.

"I think it's a bit unfair really, I need my car for a job, I work in schools as well as being a student, one day I may be in Caerphilly the next in Newport," he said.

"How do you expect me to do that without a car.

"You can't quickly find a train, or I can't really afford to pay for a taxi, there's so many other people who do the same as me."

Cardiff would be split into three zones - known as parking management areas.

• The City and Civic Centre
• The Inner Area
• The Outer Area

Each will have its own rules.

• The City and Civic Centre would have no residential permits
• The Inner Area would be a mix of permits and permitted bays, although not for businesses
• The Outer Area would allow all permits, but the times you would need a permit may vary

'Double-whammy' in car tax and parking charges

"I think they need to have the infrastructure in place," said Kathryn Williams, managing director of KEW Planning consultancy.

She said people may not like the "double-whammy" of being charged more for their SUV, when they are already charged more in car tax.

"Is it going to be a deterrent ? I think people will need to be extremely careful when they're coming into the city," she added.

"I think there'll be concern from retailers and people with businesses in the city centre.

"I don't think the communication around the consultation has been that successful, as somebody who works in the industry, we haven't been notified."

Ms Williams said there needs to be improvements to public transport.

She said: "I think we really need to look at improving things like our bus services, run a little bit longer, bit more frequent, same with the trains.

"I would use the train far more if they ran a bit later."

She added there were "safety issues" with cycling in parts of the city.

"It's a good idea," said Thomas Chu who believes it is right to reduce city centre parking.

He used to pay £120 a month for a parking space for his flat.

"It's not suitable for too many cars around here," he said, adding it would cut pollution as well.

"If we didn't have a car park at our office it would be a real inconvenience," said Georgina Lawrence who works in Cardiff.

But she said she does not commute around Cardiff by car "because it is quite a pain".

"I had quite a shock the other day coming in from west Wales way - the congestion was atrocious," she said.

New carer permits

Under the new parking plan new permit types would be created.

• Essential Service Permits for NHS and council staff.
• Community Permits for places of worship and schools.
• Business Permits - but only in the Outer Area.
• Carer Permits for professional and unpaid carers.

A surcharge would be introduced for motorists with "oversized and highly polluting vehicles", said the council.

Motorists with cars weighing more than 2,400kg, such as large Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) will have to pay more for a permit.

Motorists with cars weighing more than 3,500kg will not be eligible for a permit.

Cardiff council said the new plan would "improve the quality of life for residents and visitors" and would "prioritises blue badge holders".

Motorcyclists would now require a permit to park in resident bays.

If the changes are approved on Thursday, there will be another consultation before they are introduced.

The most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, was beaten unconscious by Israeli prison guards on 14 September, his family has said.

The 66-year-old - serving life for planning deadly attacks against Israelis - was allegedly assaulted by eight guards during a transfer between Ganot and Megiddo prisons.

The Israel Prison Service told the BBC: "These are false claims (fake). The Israel Prison Service operates in accordance with the law, while ensuring the safety and health of all inmates".

Barghouti's son, Arab, told the BBC the family had received testimony from five separate detainees who were released this week who heard Barghouti's account of the attack. He said the family was "horrified".

Barghouti was allegedly handcuffed by the guards, put on the floor, kicked and beaten.

"They focused on the head area, they focused on the chest area and also on the legs," he said. "He stayed unconscious for hours, he was bleeding, and he could hardly walk."

Arab said he believed the attack took place as his father was transferred between the two prisons, which are in southern and northern Israel, because there were no surveillance cameras to capture it.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted by an Israeli court in 2004 of planning attacks in which five civilians were killed.

The detainees who told the family of the attack had been released as part of Monday's hostage and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas, Arab said.

Barghouti's name was at the top of a list of seven high-profile prisoners whose release Hamas had sought in return for the 20 living Israeli hostages the group was holding in Gaza - but Israel refused to include him.

He is seen by many as the one man who could unite Palestinians - and the various Palestinian political factions - across both Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Opinion polls have consistently indicated that he is the most popular Palestinian leader, and that Palestinians would vote for him in a presidential election ahead of the current Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas leaders.

Barghouti remains a senior figure in the Fatah faction that dominates the PA, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank not under Israeli control. He has been held in solitary confinement since October 2023.

Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who is in charge of the prison service, denied Barghouti had been assaulted, but said he was "proud" Barghouti's prison conditions had worsened.

In August, a video emerged showing Ben Gvir taunting Barghouti in his cell.

The 13-second-long video clip was the first time he had been publicly seen in years. He appeared aged and gaunt.

In the clip, Ben Gvir tells him: "You will not win. He who messes with the people of Israel, he who will murder our children, he who will murder our women, we will wipe him out".

As Barghouti tries to interject, Ben Gvir adds: "You need to know this, throughout history."

The PA condemned the video. Its Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh described it as "the epitome of psychological, moral and physical terrorism."

A couple who won a £6m mansion in a raffle have been told they will finally be given the keys - after a planning row was settled.

Omaze put Larkfields, in Blakeney, in a prize draw - but it later emerged a swimming pool, tennis court, garage and summer house did not have planning consent.

On Thursday, North Norfolk District Council ended the long-running planning wrangle by approving the entertainment company's retrospective application for the work.

Omaze was "delighted" and said it was arranging the transfer of the luxury house to the winners "as soon as possible".

Vicky Curtis-Cresswell said she had felt "pure joy" after winning Larkfields in the Omaze and Comic Relief raffle, held earlier this year.

Originally from south Wales, Ms Curtis-Cresswell had been searching for a rental property for her family while living at her in-laws' home.

The former Miss Wales finalist said she planned to sell the property and buy a house in Wales.

The prize draw raised more than £4m for Comic Relief.

At the council meeting, Rosemary Thew, chair of the parish council, said the application should be rejected to "send a clear message that planning processes must be adhered to".

But - by 10 votes to two - committee members decided there was no lawful reason to refuse it.

Thew said the application failed to adhere to planning policies that stated developments must preserve and enhance the conservation area, be built in scale and minimise light pollution.

She added: "It breaches the original conditions of the authority.

"In particular, that no enlargement or alteration to the building shall be undertaken and no building structure erected.

She said the size of Larkfields had "increased considerably".

"I hope the planning committee will share the parish council's concern in rejecting this application and ensuring that others do not follow these unfortunate examples," added Thew.

Planning officers said the swimming pool and summer house could have been built under permitted development rights, but the tennis court and garage would require planning permission.

The committee heard how, while all four features were built without consent, they did meet local planning policies.

Angie Fitch-Tillett, one of the committee members, said: "I understand the concerns, but it does not intrude on the landscape.

"I think we are all very nervous about this one, but we are here to make a decision.

"We have the officer's advice and they appear to have covered every angle, but I will propose that this is accepted."

Development committee chair Paul Heinrich said: "There are no policy reasons why this should be rejected.

He added: "The fact it's retrospective is irrelevant."

Omaze said it would now "continue to liaise with the winner, who has already received their £250,000 cash prize, to finalise conveyancing and arrange the transfer of the property as soon as possible".

It added: "Omaze has worked closely with North Norfolk District Council throughout this process to reach this positive conclusion."

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The BBC has said Gregg Wallace is not "entitled to any damages", in response to a legal claim filed by the former MasterChef host last month.

Wallace is taking legal action against the BBC and BBC Studios after being sacked from the cooking show in July.

The presenter is seeking up to £10,000 in damages for "distress and harassment" he says the broadcaster caused him by failing to comply with a request for copies of his personal data.

In its defence filed at the High Court, the BBC argued that Wallace pursued his claim without giving it prior notice.

It added that the BBC provided him with a copy of the personal data to which it says he was entitled on 7 October.

• Gregg Wallace claims BBC caused him 'distress and harassment'
• New MasterChef hosts revealed after Wallace and Torode axed
• Gregg Wallace 'sorry' after 45 claims against him upheld

In court documents filed by Wallace, he claimed that, in March, he requested "personal data" from both the BBC and its subsidiary, BBC Studios, under data protection laws.

Both requests related to his "work, contractual relations and conduct" spanning 21 years.

Wallace's documents said that as of 5 September, he had still not received any of his personal information from the BBC.

They further claimed that BBC Studios told Wallace it was withholding parts of his data on the basis of "freedom of expression". Wallace claimed it had "unlawfully failed to supply" all of his data, and had "wrongly redacted" information.

He is seeking damages for "distress, harassment and loss of amenity not exceeding £10,000" as well as interest.

In its defence, the BBC has said it gave Wallace a copy of his personal data to which he was entitled under UK data protection rules earlier this month.

It said BBC Studios has now also given Wallace the information that was previously withheld, except from where such information amounted to the personal data of third parties.

"That voluntary disclosure demonstrates that the claimant has no basis to claim damages for distress (or otherwise) in respect of the withholding of such information," it said.

"It is denied that the claimant is entitled to any damages, interest or other relief," it added.

Wallace's representatives have been approached for a comment. The BBC declined to comment.

BBC News is editorially independent from the wider corporation.

Complaints

Wallace hosted MasterChef for 20 years, but stepped away from presenting the show last year after facing a string of misconduct claims.

The show's production company Banijay ordered an inquiry, which heard 83 allegations against the TV presenter.

Of those, 45 were upheld, including one of unwelcome physical contact and three of being in a state of undress. Most related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, and also culturally insensitive or racist comments.

In response, he said he was "deeply sorry for any distress" he caused and that he "never set out to harm or humiliate", but that "none of the serious allegations against me were upheld".

A separate claim that his co-host John Torode had used a severely offensive racist term was also substantiated. Torode has said he has "no recollection" of the incident.

Both presenters were sacked in July.

Last month, it was revealed that food critic Grace Dent and chef Anna Haugh are the new hosts of MasterChef.

France's new prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has bought himself breathing space after winning two no-confidence motions tabled by the opposition.

In the tightest vote, a motion sponsored by the far left fell 18 votes short of the 289 needed to bring him down.

It means that after just five days in office, Lecornu has survived a first major ordeal in parliament and can now focus on the task of passing the 2026 budget.

Any relief for the prime minister is likely to be short-lived, with the far left and far right still gunning to bring him down. And the Socialists, who threw a lifeline in the no-confidence motions, have made clear they will not be so indulgent next time round.

Also, any tactical victory enabling the government to endure for now is more than offset by the huge damage to France's reputation caused by weeks of confusion and capitulation.

Appointed by President Emmanuel Macron four weeks ago, then re-appointed in chaotic scenes on Friday after he resigned on Monday, Lecornu only survives thanks to major concessions made to the left.

To buy the support of the Socialist Party, which has 65 or so MPs, the prime minister promised to freeze Macron's most important economic reform of his second term – the raising of the retirement age to 64.

But he also made another, possibly more important, gift to the opposition, which has big implications for the chances of obtaining a budget in time for the end-of-year deadline.

By pledging not to resort to the constitutional device known as the 49:3 – which lets governments force through laws without a vote – Lecornu handed ultimate control over the budget to the parties in parliament.

It is a huge shift in power, reflecting the decline of presidential authority since Macron's botched parliamentary dissolution of July 2024. For many observers it heralds a return, for good or ill, to the party politicking that was a hallmark of the pre-1958 Fourth Republic.

By assuring MPs that they and not the government would have the last word on the future budget, Lecornu managed to convince the Socialists that he was serious about marking a real "rupture" from previous Macronite administrations.

But he may also have surrendered any prospect of the kind of belt-tightening debt reduction that the money markets and the European Union are demanding.

Read more: Macron reappoints Lecornu as French PM after days of turmoil

• Time may be running out for master of clocks Macron: What next for France?

The draft budget tabled by Lecornu on Tuesday aims to reduce the deficit to 4.7% of economic output (GDP) by making savings of €30bn (£26bn), with a squeeze on spending in the health sector and local administration.

But the Socialists have joined the rest of the left and the far-right in denouncing the text as a betrayal of the less well-off.

Party leader Olivier Faure said that he would have no compunction about supporting a new vote of censure, if offending parts of the budget are not removed.

France's National Assembly has been split three ways for the last 15 months, with a centre-right bloc of under 200 MPs facing a left-wing alliance of about the same size and a far-right bloc of about 140, plus some independents.

None of the three prime ministers since then has been able to find a reliable majority.

Weeks of bickering in Paris have triggered warnings about the public's growing disillusionment with politics - the spectacle appearing to confirm the notion that the prime aim of most politicians is simply to stay in power.

President Macron, who is blamed for the crisis by most French voters, has seen his popularity ratings slump to just 14%. He has been in office for eight years, and the far right and far left have called for his resignation before his second term ends in 18 months.

According to his one-time adviser, the veteran essayist and confidant of presidents Alain Minc, Macron "must now go down as the worst president of the Fifth Republic".

Minc said Macron had come to office promising to act as a bulwark against the far right but he had left National Rally at the gates of power.

"If you look around us," said Minc, "the Germans are petrified about what a French collapse will do to the economy. The British are petrified about the strategic implications. The Italians are laughing at us, because we always laughed at them."

"In America, President Trump is saying that smooth-talker Macron has got what he deserves. Only in Russia are they smiling."

Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry were accused of collecting insider information about UK politics and government policy, and passing it to a Chinese intelligence agent, who then forwarded it to Cai Qi, one of the most senior politicians in China. Cai is often referred to as President Xi Jinping's right-hand man.

Both Mr Cash and Mr Berry completely denied the charge under Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case against the pair last month after deciding the evidence did not show China was a threat to national security.

The two men met while teaching in China.

Mr Berry stayed behind, but Mr Cash, whose other love was politics, got a job in the House of Commons - first as a researcher and then as the director of the China Research Group, working closely with MPs like Tom Tugendhat, Alicia Kearns and Neil O'Brien.

• China spy case collapse 'frustrating', MI5 chief says
• The controversy explained
• The remaining unanswered questions

In a statement released through his solicitor, Cash told the BBC: "I have, for a long time, been concerned by the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the United Kingdom and, prior to these false allegations, was working to inform Parliamentarians and the public about those risks."

Mr Cash and Mr Berry would talk and exchange messages between Westminster and China, according to the first of three witness statements by the deputy national security adviser Matt Collins to the CPS - released by the government on Wednesday.

For example, according to Mr Collins' statement, Mr Cash told Mr Berry in June 2022 that he thought Jeremy Hunt would pull out of the Tory leadership race.

In July 2022, he allegedly sent a voice note saying that Tugendhat would almost certainly get a job in Rishi Sunak's cabinet. Both these pieces of information ended up in reports that Mr Berry submitted to a man called "Alex", who the prosecution said was a Chinese intelligence agent.

In his statement, Mr Cash said he was aware "a small amount of the information" he was sending to Mr Berry was being passed on. But he thought Mr Berry was working for "a strategic advisory company" helping clients "invest in the UK".

Some of the information was not for passing on. In the note to Mr Berry about Hunt, Mr Cash wrote: "v v confidential (defo don't share with your new employer)". Despite that, it was included in one of Mr Berry's reports.

Mr Cash and Mr Berry communicated using encrypted messaging apps.

Mr Collins' first statement says that, after one exchange in December 2022, Mr Berry told "Alex" that the Foreign Secretary James Cleverly did not think sanctions would be effective in blocking imports from Xinjiang, the province where there are human rights abuses of the Uyghur population.

There were also a series of exchanges about meetings between Tugendhat, Kearns and Taiwanese defence officials, according to Mr Collins.

All of these exchanges ended up in a series of reports that Mr Berry submitted to "Alex" with titles like "Taiwan-perception-within-parliament" and "Import_of_Products_of Forced_Labour_from Xinjiang".

Those reports then ended up with Cai Qi, and he seems to have been so pleased about the information that, in July 2022, Mr Berry met Cai. Mr Cash sent him a message saying: "You're in spy territory now."

According to Mr Berry, Cai asked "specific questions about each MP within the Conservative leadership election one-by-one", Mr Collins said in his statement.

At times - according to Mr Collins - "Alex" "tasked" Mr Berry with collecting specific information. On one occasion, the turnaround time was just 13 hours, he said in his first statement.

But Mr Cash categorically denies knowingly spying for China.

"I routinely spoke [to] and shared information with Christopher Berry about Chinese and British Politics," he said in the statement given to BBC News last night.

"He was my friend and these were matters we were both passionately interested in. I believed him to be as critical and concerned about the Chinese Communist Party as I was.

"It was inconceivable to me that he would deliberately pass on any information to Chinese intelligence, even if that information was not sensitive."

Mr Cash said the information he gave Mr Berry was publicly available or "just political gossip that formed part of the everyday Westminster rumour mill".

Mr Cash said he had been "placed in an impossible position" by the release of Mr Collins' statements, that were "devoid of the context that would have been given at trial", where they would have been subject to a "root and branch challenge".

He insisted that the assessments "would not have withstood the scrutiny of a public trial".

Mr Berry has also denied the allegations, but has not released a detailed statement in response to Mr Collins' statements. BBC News has asked his solicitor for a further statement.