Afternoon briefing Friday 10th October

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0:36This is the Times afternoon briefing for Friday the 10th of October. Israel's military says the Gaza ceasefire agreement is now in effect. Troops have begun pulling back to updated deployment lines set out in the US-backed deal, and hostages held by Hamas are now expected to be released within 72 hours. Residents in parts of Gaza have begun returning to devastated neighborhoods as IDF soldiers withdraw. Mamoun El-Natur is an opposition politician in the territory. he told Times Radio they hope the ceasefire will hold. The situation in the Gaza Strip in general is between optimistic and pessimistic.

1:12Optimism about the return of the Israeli hostages to their loved ones in Israel and outside of Israel. Everyone is also invested in the end of Hamas and the end of this long war. No one wants Hamas to remain in Gaza, nor do they want it to remain in power, control and governance. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, for her work on democratic rights. Donald Trump has long spoken of his desire to win the prize, one of the world's most prestigious. Jürgen Vatnev-Friednes, chair of the committee, was asked how the US president's push to get the prize affected their choice.

1:47In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, I think this committee has seen any type of campaign, media attention. we receive thousands and thousands of letters every year. So we base only our decision on the work and the will of Alfred Nobel. Akir and senior members of the British Medical Association have been condemned for suggesting GPs overwhelm A &E units. NHS leaders say the letter was dangerous to patients, but the union now says it was sent to practices in Cumbria by mistake. It comes amid a dispute between GPs and the government over online services. Former ministers have told The Times evidence showing the threat from China to UK security wasn't passed to prosecutors in a high-profile spying case.

2:32Yesterday, Sokir Starmer blamed officials for the collapse of the case, saying neither he nor his ministers were involved. It's emerged security services had produced a dossier of evidence. The Times' Home Affairs editor Matt Dathan says somebody messed up. The governor had to prove that China was a security threat to the UK between December 21 and February 23. This dossier included hundreds of examples within that time frame, I'm told. And so what the former ministers are saying is that the Home Office had this dossier of evidence that it could have easily shown and proved evidence that China was a security threat during that time frame.

3:10And a funeral procession is underway in Manchester, honouring the legendary boxer Derek Hatton, who died last month. Times Radio's Nick Ellerby says parts of the city are at a standstill. The 15-mile, two-hour procession starts outside one of Ricky Hatton's local pubs, the Cheshire Cheese in G-Cross, before passing the Hare Hill Tavern in Hattersley, where Ricky grew up, and then the New Inn, where Ricky's parents used to run. The cortege will pause here as white doves are released. You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

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