In today’s newsletter: The architect of the 7 October attack is dead, but Benjamin Netanyahu gave no indication that the war is about to end
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Yesterday, Israel confirmed that its forces had killed the Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, architect of the 7 October attacks that killed 1,200 Israeli civilians and in which a further 250 were taken hostage.
Budget | Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes.
Home Office | The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian. It follows reports that some have been waiting years to be defined as victims of modern slavery.
China | Labour has backtracked on plans to push for formal recognition that China’s treatment of the Uyghurs is genocide in the run-up to David Lammy’s trip to the country. The foreign secretary is expected to arrive in Beijing today for high-level meetings before travelling to Shanghai on Saturday.
AI | Child sexual abuse imagery generated by artificial intelligence tools is becoming more prevalent on the open web and reaching a “tipping point”, according to the Internet Watch Foundation, a safety watchdog.
Conservatives | Almost half of Conservative councillors polled this week have said neither Robert Jenrick nor Kemi Badenoch will be able to win the next election, while a significant minority said they did not plan to vote in the leadership contest.
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