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Homes bought by state after exiting National Rental Affordability Scheme will become social or affordable housing

In today's newsletter: From allegedly lost WhatsApp messages to Sir Patrick Vallance's frank lockdown diary, revelations only get more intriguing Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning, and welcome to Dorland House, a one-time hotel in west London where former high court judge Baroness Hallett is chairing the independent public inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic.It is here that we have heard heartbreaking stories from the families of some of the 229,765 people who died from Covid, and seen the release of shockingly frank WhatsApp messages between ministers and their advisers.Israel-Hamas war | A deadly blast at a hospital in Gaza City has upended US diplomatic efforts aimed at fending off the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and thrown a dark shadow over President Joe Biden's imminent visit to the region. The hospital explosion has become a lightning rod for anger and sparked protests across the Middle East.UK news | The UK's infrastructure needs a big cash injection, with public transport, home heating and water networks all in dire need of renewal, independent government advisers have said. The investments, of about 30bn a year from the taxpayer and 40bn to 50bn a year from the private sector, would result in savings to the average household of at least 1,000 a year, higher economic productivity, and a better quality of life in the future.Belgium | The man suspected to have killed two Swedish football fans in Brussels has been shot dead by police. Police said they opened fire during the arrest outside a cafe in the city centre and found a weapon and bag of clothes. The suspect was a 45-year-old of Tunisian origin and is said to have been inspired by Islamic State.Charity | The family of Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised 38.9m for the NHS, has defended building an oversized spa-pool complex in their home stating it has rehabilitation purposes for elderly people in the local area. Central Bedfordshire council have ordered the family to demolish the spa pool as it was unauthorised.Politics | The prime minister and the Conservative party chair have been accused by charity Full Fact of spreading disinformation regarding Labour's immigration plans. The pair have claimed Labour pledge to open up UK borders to 100,000 people a year which Full Fact warn could mislead voters in the next general election. Continue reading...

Union and workers say waiting staff in some cases lose hundreds of pounds a month in incomeMiller & Carter, the steakhouse chain owned by the nationwide pub group Mitchells & Butlers, has been criticised for taking payments from waiting staff worth up to 2% of the sales they serve up, cutting their income during the cost of living crisis.The payments are intended as a way for waiting staff to share tips with chefs and other back of house workers. Continue reading...

Spectres of Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher haunt Conservatives in Mid Beds and Tamworth, as Labour claims momentum going its wayAlistair Strathern hates the photo chosen to be splashed across his advertising boards. Good poster", shouts a schoolboy between mouthfuls of crisps at the gently blushing Labour candidate across Dunstable Street in the centre of Ampthill, one of the 48 towns and villages that make up the constituency of Mid Bedfordshire. I look smug," Strathern explains of his discomfort. Maybe you think I always look smug but I don't think I look that smug."It's a shame that Strathern feels this way as his boards are absolutely everywhere. Like a constituency-sized Where's Wally?", Strathern's face pops up from out of hedges, emerges smiling from behind trees and stares back from front gardens just daring a chastened voter to have the gall not to back Sir Keir Starmer's Labour party. Continue reading...

Vladimir Putin lauded the success of our Chinese friends' at global forum, while Xi Jinping spoke out against international sanctions and decoupling'Xi Jinping met his internationally isolated Russian counterpart in Beijing on Wednesday against the backdrop of China's biggest diplomatic event of the year, underlining the close relationship between two leaders amid the war in Ukraine.The Chinese president, addressing delegates at the belt and road initiative (BRI) forum, spoke out against international sanctions during his opening speech. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Malkinson was convicted with no DNA evidence and says police must be compelled to disclose whyAndrew Malkinson believes an inquiry into how he was wrongfully convicted of rape must be made statutory to ensure Greater Manchester police do not hide evidence.Malkinson, 57, was convicted of raping a stranger in 2003 in Greater Manchester, despite no DNA evidence. The court of appeal overturned his conviction in July after forensic testing linked another man to the crime. Continue reading...

Official at Finnish intelligence service says espionage attempts have increased since Ukraine invasionFinland has had increased online espionage attempts from Russia since Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, security services have said.Supo, the Finnish security and intelligence service, said the country faced various threats from Russia, including cyberattacks and disinformation. Continue reading...

Letters To a Young Generation: Aspiring School Leaders book aims to encourage Black teachers to pursue leadership positionsBlack headteachers from across the UK have written letters to the next generation of school leaders, urging them to become role models for students who are crying out for people who look like them".The letters are compiled in a book by Amanda Wilson, a headteacher at a primary school in Greenwich, south-east London, which is aimed at encouraging black teachers to pursue leadership positions to combat their current under-representation in the sector. Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can find all of our coverage of the Israel-Hamas war here.Japan will provide $10 million in emergency aid for civilians in Gaza, foreign minister Yoko Kamikawa said on Tuesday.

Health officials say blast killed hundreds as footage shows fire engulfing medical centre owned by Anglican church

An array of state charges including waste levies could potentially be unlawful after court overturns 1974 precedent on consumption taxes

Influx comes after online application process simplified - but it is sparking calls for more funding to cut survivors' wait times

Ukraine starts using Atacms missiles from US, with Russian-held airfield targeted; $14bn damage toll from destruction of Kakhovka damUkraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has confirmed that Kyiv used US-provided long-range army tactical missile systems (Atacms) missiles. Today, special thanks to the United States. Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. Very accurately - Atacms missiles proved themselves," he said. This marks the first officially confirmed use in Ukraine of Atacms, which can fly up to 190 miles.Ukrainian forces struck airfields in Russian-held territory in eastern and southern Ukraine overnight, destroying helicopters, knocking out an air defence missile launcher and damaging runways, Kyiv's military said. The military said its forces had carried out well-aimed strikes on enemy airfields" near the eastern city of Luhansk and the southern city of Berdiansk. Atacms are thought to have been used.A telecommunication cable connecting Sweden and Estonia has been damaged, Sweden's civil defence minister has said. Carl-Oskar Bohlin said it appeared to have occurred at the same time as a subsea gas pipeline and a telecom cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on 8 October.China's president, Xi Jinping, welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to Beijing, which is to host representatives of 130 countries for a forum on Xi's belt and road initiative.The lower house of the Russian parliament has reportedly given preliminary approval to a bill revoking the ratification of a global nuclear test ban treaty.The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in south-eastern Ukraine in June caused $14bn worth of damage and losses, according to a report by the Ukrainian government and the UN.Grant Shapps, the UK defence secretary, is due to visit the US on Tuesday for urgent talks over conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.Canada is targeting nine individuals and six TV stations in new sanctions against Russian collaborators in Moldova. Those targeted are associated with influential oligarchs, such as Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Mironovich Shor, while the TV stations promote and disseminate Russian disinformation, the Canadian foreign ministry said.US, South Korean and Japanese officials have met in Jakarta to discuss North Korea's engagement with Russia, including arms transfers violating UN security council resolutions.A convoy of British ambulances has arrived in Lviv in western Ukraine and will be delivered to hospitals on the frontline. Five vehicles donated by the charity Medical Life Lines Ukraine are being sent to the southern city of Kherson - which is under intense Russian attack - as well as the towns of Kupiansk and Vorozhba in the war-torn north-east of the country. Since last year's full-scale invasion the group has donated 43 vehicles. Continue reading...

Government says research suggests survivors of strangulation are more likely to be seriously injured or murdered by the same partner

Government advisers say congested roads and inadequate public transport constrain economic growthEngland's biggest cities outside London should introduce some form of congestion charge to reduce car traffic and boost their economies, according to the National Infrastructure Commission.The commission called on the government to invest 22bn into public transport in Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and Leeds, warning that congested roads and inadequate public transport ... constrains their economic growth". Continue reading...

Musician's work spanned the mainstream and avant-garde, including in fusions with the world of rockCarla Bley, the American jazz composer-pianist celebrated for boldly avant-garde work as well as her uplifting and beautiful takes on the genre's mainstream, has died aged 87.Her death was announced by longtime partner and musical collaborator Steve Swallow, who said the cause was complications from brain cancer. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester police say normal service resumed after no items discovered or arrests madeManchester airport was forced to close its airfield on Tuesday evening after police investigated an Emirates flight after reports of a suspicious package onboard.The aircraft, which took off at about 2.30pm from Dubai, landed in Manchester on Tuesday evening and was held for further assessment. Continue reading...

Health officials say blast killed at least 500 as footage shows fire engulfing medical centre owned by Anglican church

Letter signed by 178 members of US's most prestigious law faculties calls Israeli reaction to Hamas attack a moral catastrophe'

Leaked document emerges as domestic abuse survivors seek clarification over plans to cut sentences for low-level' offendersThe Ministry of Justice has been accused of putting the public at risk after quietly transferring locked up offenders to open prisons in a move to ease a critical overcrowding crisis.The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said officials launched a new scheme to swap dozens of prisoners to Category D prisons at the end of September without conducting pre-transfer assessments that would decide if it was safe to send them to the open estate. Continue reading...

UN human rights office warns Israel over legality of evacuation order and siege on Gaza; Biden set to visit Israel on Wednesday as attempts to broker aid supplies continue

Heads of MI5 and FBI say Jewish communities and other groups may face danger from lone actors, Iran or militants

Ken McCallum warns China is trying to steal industrial and technological secrets in the westAn estimated 20,000 Britons have been approached by Chinese state actors on LinkedIn in the hope of stealing industrial or technological secrets, the head of MI5 has said.Ken McCallum said industrial espionage was happening at real scale", and he estimated that 10,000 UK businesses were at risk, particularly in artificial intelligence, quantum computing or synthetic biology where China was trying to gain a march. Continue reading...

Ukrainian military used US-supplied longer-range army tactical missile systems to strike nine Russian helicopters in eastern Ukraine

Party's new leader must win back voters but also broaden support for Scottish independence, a key contradiction

Body of newborn baby Callum was found by dog walker near Warrington amusement park in 1998A man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of the murder of an unidentified baby who was found strangled to death near a theme park in Cheshire 25 years ago.The baby boy's body was discovered in a black bin bag by a dog walker in woodland near Gulliver's World amusement park in Warrington on 14 March 1998. Continue reading...

Conservative chief whip makes decision day after watchdog recommended MP be suspended for six weeks

Rupert Murdoch empire could secure windfall by breaking up business, says Starboard ValueRupert Murdoch's News Corp should seek a $7bn (5.7bn) spin-off of its online property businesses to help increase its market value, according to an activist investor.The hedge fund Starboard Value, which has been building a stake in News Corp, said that the $12.6bn valuation of the company does not make sense" and management should look at breaking up the business. Continue reading...

First minister announces surprise move as part of fightback against Labour surge, sparking row with Greens coalition partnerHumza Yousaf has announced that Scotland's council taxes will be frozen next year, and millions added to health spending, as he launched a fightback against Labour's surge in the polls.Yousaf admitted in his first conference speech as Scottish National party leader that last month's huge defeat at the hands of Labour in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection had been a tough night" for the SNP. Continue reading...

Relatives of Yahel, 13, have confirmed her death to the Israeli embassy in London; her sister and father remain missing

Library service schemes to offer free, heated space, which began last year in response to the cost of living crisis, will resume at the end of OctoberMost libraries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will again offer warm banks" this winter as cost of living pressures continue, according to a survey.Of the libraries surveyed, 93% are preparing to offer free, heated spaces for visitors during the cold months as part of a warm spaces scheme. The warm hubs" initiatives began in 2022 when energy prices rose after the the Russia-Ukraine war began. Continue reading...

Labour urged to clarify its position on collective punishment by 39 academics who say party must confirm it opposes the commission of war crimes'Rishi Sunak told cabinet this morning that Britons are likely to be among those being held hostage by Hamas.In the Commons yesterday he said that at least six Britons were dead and that a further 10 were missing, some of whom were also thought to be dead.[The PM] underscored the abhorrence of Hamas's deliberate targeting of civilians and said the UK would continue to stand with Israel and respect their right to self-defence. He said that the UK will play its part to help alleviate the unfolding humanitarian crisis, recognising that Hamas is actively seeking to endanger Palestinian civilians. The prime minister also added that Hamas were responsible for the murder and suspected abduction of British nationals.We continue to urge Israel as a democracy we work closely with to act within international law in their actions, I think they are taking steps to do that.We are in discussions and are keen to see water restored to the area.We do believe it is vital that water supplies are restored, including local capacity, and we'll continue to have discussions on that front. Continue reading...

Sunak and Hands making false claims about Starmer's proposed returns deal with EU, says charity

Civic Coalition leader calls for quick decisions' after coalition of opposition groups win enough votes for parliamentary majority

Russian president due to hold in-depth talks with Chinese leader on sidelines of trade forum

Brisbane inquest shows the 44-year-old, who had heart and asthma problems being restrained and placed in a spit hood before having a cardiac arrest

Ruling Law and Justice party secured most votes but it appears likely Donald Tusk's Civic Coalition will be able to form a governmentWe want to hear from you. Are you a voter living in Poland or another country? What are your thoughts on the election results? How will the change of power likely impact you?You can share your thoughts on the Poland election results using this form. Continue reading...

Budgeting hack can lead to large amounts of money being stolen in break-ins, insurer saysA home insurer has issued a warning about the risks of a budgeting trend known as cash stuffing" after seeing a surge in the number of theft claims.Popular on social media, cash stuffing - also known as the cash envelope system - is a budgeting technique that supposedly helps cash-strapped households keep track of their spending and saving without having to resort to complicated spreadsheets. Continue reading...

Discussions scheduled after intervention from foreign officials, after Kosovo previously urged sanctions on Serbia

Ahmed Alid remanded into custody during court appearance over death of Terrence Carney, 70, on SundayA man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court accused of murdering a 70-year-old passerby in Hartlepool.Terrence Carney had just used a cash machine when he was attacked by a person with a knife in the town centre in the early hours of Sunday morning in what police later described as an isolated" incident. Attempts were made to treat Carney but he died at the scene. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Police in British overseas territory known for beautiful beaches said to have been overwhelmed by extreme violenceWith sweeping beaches and turquoise waters, the Turks and Caicos Islands, a British territory in the Caribbean, are best known as one of the most beautiful tourist destinations in the world.But an internal Foreign Office investigation seen by the Guardian lays bare the extent to which the islands were engulfed by extreme violence last year amid a turf war for control of drug trafficking routes. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Warning system similar to one used by hospitals would allow GPs to flag unsafe workload levels and trigger supportBritain's top family doctor is calling for a black alert" system to be introduced in general practice so that doctors can warn when surgeries are dangerously over capacity.It comes as a report reveals that almost half of GPs can no longer guarantee safe care for millions of patients, as a shortage of medics means they are unable to cope with soaring demand. Continue reading...

Indiana Jones of art world' says works taken from Medemblik town hall were dropped off at his home

CAA told to partly reconsider decision on how much hub can charge airlines for using its servicesA verdict on how much Heathrow airport can charge airlines must be reconsidered in part, the UK's competition watchdog has ruled, amid a longrunning row at Europe's busiest airport.In March, the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), ordered London's largest airport, to cut its passenger charges by about 20% next year, which could result in lower air fares. Continue reading...

Hamas demands release of 6,000 prisoners in exchange for hostages; WHO warns Gaza is running out of water

In today's newsletter: In what could be the most consequential election in the country since the fall of communism, Poland may have made a step closer to Europe Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionDzie dobry. It is the end of evil times," Donald Tusk, the former prime minister of Poland and leader of the country's main opposition party, declared as polls indicated a clear majority for a centre-left coalition in what has been billed as Poland's most important general election since the fall of communism in 1989. We did it, for real. Poland won, democracy won."Well, technically, Tusk's Civic Coalition (KO) party didn't win. But it doesn't matter, as the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party and its potential rightwing partner do not appear to have won enough votes to extend nine years in power.Brussels shooting| Brussels is on its highest level of security alert after two Swedes were shot dead in the centre of the city by a gunman who federal prosecutors said claimed to be inspired by Islamic State.Israel-Hamas war | President Joe Biden will travel to Israel for talks with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday as concerns grow that the Israel-Hamas war could spiral into a regional conflict.Conservatives | The Conservative MP Peter Bone repeatedly hit and verbally abused a member of his staff, often asked him for massages and on one occasion put his bare genitals in the other man's face, according to a report by a House of Commons regulator.UK news | Counter-terrorism police are leading an investigation into the suspected murder of a man and the assault of another after an incident in Hartlepool in the early hours of Sunday.Economy | The Bank of England has more work to do" to ensure inflation is brought back under control, the chief economist Huw Pill has said. Raising the possibility of an increase in borrowing costs from the Bank, Pill said the fact that the headline measure of the cost of living was falling was not enough to claim victory. Continue reading...

Coalition could still return to power in four years if key reforms are adopted, party room told

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, does not meet age requirement of 40 but constitutional court - headed by president's brother-in-law - makes exceptionAn Indonesian court has made a controversial exception allowing the eldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo to run for vice-president in the 2024 election.In a decision that outraged critics of the president, the constitutional court ruled that candidates under the required age of 40 can seek the presidency or vice-presidency in the 14 February ballot provided they have previously held elected regional office. Continue reading...

Three Little Birds, based on stories of Henry's family in 1950s, is not Disneyfication' of prejudice his parents' generation encounteredLenny Henry says he hopes his new Windrush-based drama Three Little Birds will prevent the Disneyfication" of the racism his parents' generation encountered and generate a conversation among children.The ITV series, which he wrote with Russell T Davies and stars in, is based on stories from his family and friends. It shows the trials and racism faced by three women emigrating from Jamaica to England in the 1950s. Continue reading...