Exclusive: Overhaul of system that imposed draconian penalties for innocent errors in benefit claims is expected

Draconian penalties that caused unpaid carers to rack up thousands of pounds of debt after unwittingly falling foul of benefit rules are to be overhauled, the government has announced.

The move comes six months after a Guardian investigation revealed tens of thousands of vulnerable carers were being ordered to repay hefty overpayments – and even threatened with criminal prosecution – over minor breaches of carer’s allowance earnings limits.

Bigger than forecast annual drop to 1.7% in September puts pressure on Bank of England to cut interest rates

• Business live – latest updates

UK Inflation has fallen below 2% for the first time in three and a half years, piling further pressure on the Bank of England to cut interest rates at its meeting next month.

The consumer prices index dropped sharply to 1.7% last month, down from 2.2% in August. The plunge – fuelled by lower air fares and petrol prices – beat City economists’ forecast of a fall to 1.9%.

IDF says the airstrike targeted an underground Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the Dahiyeh area of southern Beirut

• US warns Israel of potential halt to arms transfers if Gaza aid is not distributed

Aid has arrived in northern Gaza for the first time in two weeks, according to an update by Cogat, the Israeli body that oversees the Palestinian territories and coordinates with aid groups.

In a social media post shared on Wednesday morning, Cogat said that 145 humanitarian aid trucks, containing food, hygiene products, baby formula, and shelter equipment, had entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings.

A convoy of 28 trucks entered Gaza directly through Gate 96. The rotation coordination of humanitarian personnel has been successfully completed. 12 bakeries are operational in Gaza, 4 bakeries in northern Gaza, and 8 bakeries southern Gaza.”

Kim Leadbeater, sponsor of bill, says it will include ‘stringent’ criteria and only apply to terminally ill adults

• What is the background to the MPs’ vote on assisted dying?

The lives of disabled and vulnerable people will not be at risk from a proposed assisted dying law because it will only apply to terminally ill adults, and each case is likely to be ruled on by two doctors and a judge, the MP sponsoring it has said.

Kim Leadbeater said her historic “choice at the end of life” bill will include “stringent” criteria and a cooling-off period in what is likely to be one of the most controversial pieces of legislation to go before parliament in years.

Minutes of meeting between then business secretary Badenoch and businessman James Dyson show her defending the flexible working bill

Kemi Badenoch defended legislation introducing the right to flexible work in a conversation with the businessman James Dyson, despite being outspoken in her opposition to the measures during the Conservative leadership contest.

Minutes of a meeting during her time as business secretary last June, seen by the Guardian, show the pair discussed the Tory government’s plans for flexible working laws, with Dyson raising concerns about the impact they would have on his business.

Bring in ‘future homes standard’ or leave families at risk of higher bills and emissions for decades, MPs and experts say

Ministers must take steps now to ensure that all homes are built to the most efficient low-carbon standards, or risk locking households into higher bills and greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come, a group of MPs and experts have urged.

The government is mulling changes to the building regulations in England to bring in a “future homes standard” that would require all new homes to be built with low-carbon equipment such as heat pumps and solar panels.

Murder charge in Los Angeles against teenage son of acclaimed photojournalist, praised for ‘shining a spotlight on siege of Sarajevo’

The British photojournalist Paul Lowe has been fatally stabbed on a hiking trail in California and his teenage son arrested for murder, according to police.

Lowe, who covered conflicts including the siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian war, was found dead on 12 October in the San Gabriel mountains.

Organisations assisting Russian deserters hope France’s decision will lead to more soldiers fleeing

Six Russian soldiers who fled the war in Ukraine have been granted temporary visas as they apply for political asylum in France, in what human rights activists describe as the first major case of a group of deserters being admitted to a EU country.

The men arrived in Paris on separate flights over the last few months after initially fleeing Russia to Kazakhstan in 2022 and 2023, according to an organisation that assists soldiers in fleeing, and to accounts from the deserters.

Institute for Public Policy Research says firms that fail to offer options such as subsidised nutritious food should face censure

Employers should be fined if they create unhealthy workplaces, as part of Wes Streeting’s plan to get unemployed people fit to work, according to a leading thinktank.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said employers that fail to provide a healthier work environment for their staff, such as subsidised nutritious food, should face regulatory action, including fines and public censure.

Researchers show more energy needed to get going than later in walks when body is working more efficiently

Researchers have hit on an unusual tip for walkers who want to burn more calories: rather than plodding along steadily from start to finish, consider taking rest stops.

The advice emerged from a study of volunteers who were put through their paces in the laboratory to measure the oxygen and energy demands of short strolls versus longer walks.