Man who stabbed wife in street guilty of murder

Habibur Masum had denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article

A man who stabbed his wife to death in front of their infant son after tracking her to a refuge has been found guilty of murder.

Habibur Masum stabbed Kulsuma Akter more than 25 times after confronting her in Bradford city centre in April 2024. The baby was unharmed.

Bradford Crown Court heard Ms Akter, 27, had been living in a refuge in the city since January, after Masum had previously assaulted her at their home in Oldham.

Masum, 26, of Leamington Avenue in Burnley, had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and possession of a bladed article but was convicted of murder after a trial.

MrBeast removes AI thumbnail tool after backlash

16 minutes ago Share Save Riyah Collins BBC Newsbeat Share Save

Getty Images MrBeast says he designed the tool to help smaller creators but "missed the mark"

MrBeast has removed a YouTube thumbnail generator that used artificial intelligence (AI) after a backlash from creators. The world's most-subscribed YouTuber, real name Jimmy Donaldson, released the tool last week and said his intention had been "to help smaller creators make better thumbnails". But he admitted he had "missed the mark" after it was criticised by other high-profile YouTubers, including PointCrow and Jacksepticeye, who said the tool "steals" creators' work. In a post on X, MrBeast said he'd decided to remove the tool from his YouTube analytics platform Viewstats and would replace it with links to human artists available for commission.

When he launched the AI thumbnail tool last week, MrBeast said, he "thought people were going to be pretty excited about it". The small preview pictures are a key part of any YouTuber's strategy, and are used to catch the eye of potential viewers as they scroll through a sea of content. Mr Beast's tool was advertised as "taking the guesswork out" of designing eye-catching images for an $80 (£58) per month subscription. It gave users the option to insert themselves into existing thumbnails and recreate the work of other creators. Generative AI - or GenAI - tools such as this are trained on mountains of exisiting data, which are then used to create outputs in response to user prompts. There are several current court cases examining accusations of copyright theft against companies that make AI models. PointCrow, real name Eric Morino, accused MrBeast of making "something that can steal... hard work without a thought" and alleged that the AI model was "clearly trained on all our thumbnails and uses them without any creator's permission". While the US streamer said the intention of making content creation more accessible was a "great idea", the tool "fundamentally hurts creators as a whole".

Getty Images Inspired by Netflix hit Squid Game, Beast Games saw winner Jeffrey Randall Allen win a huge cash prize

MrBeast acknowledged the feedback and told his followers: "I care more than any of you could ever imagine about the YouTube community. "Obviously I'm the biggest YouTuber in the world and I don't take that responsibility lightly and so it deeply makes me sad when I do something that people in the community are upset by." He said his goal with Viewstats had been to build tools to help creators, "but if creators don't want the tools, no worries". The US YouTuber has more than 385 million subscribers on the site and is thought to be its highest-paid creator. He has a number of other business ventures and last year hosted Beast Games, an Amazon series which saw 1,000 people competing in a series of elimination challenges for a $5m (£3.9m) cash prize. The series was named in a lawsuit where some contestants claimed they'd been "exploited" during filming - allegations MrBeast said had been "blown out of proportion". In May, the Mexican government accused him of "exploiting" the Mayan pyramids for a video and the month before he had to apologise after fans had a "horrible" experience at a Las Vegas event in his name.

Tehran is coming back to life, but its residents are deeply shaken

20 minutes ago Share Save Lyse Doucet Chief international correspondent Reporting from Tehran, Iran Share Save

Watch: BBC inside Iran state building in Tehran hit by Israeli missile strike

In the heart of the Iranian capital, the Boof cafe serves up refreshing cold drinks on a hot summer's day. They must be the most distinctive iced Americano coffees in this city – the cafe sits in a leafy corner of the long-shuttered US embassy. Its high cement walls have been plastered with anti-American murals ever since Washington severed relations with Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Iranian revolution and the hostage crisis – which still cast a long shadow over this tortuous relationship. Inside the charming Boof cafe, Amir the barista says he'd like relations to improve between America and Iran.

"US sanctions hurt our businesses and make it hard for us to travel around the world," he reflects as he pours another iced coffee behind a jaunty wooden sign - "Keep calm and drink coffee." Only two tables are occupied - one by a woman covered up in a long black veil, another by a woman in blue jeans with long flowing hair, flouting the rules on what women should wear as she cuddles with her boyfriend. It's a small snapshot of this capital as it confronts its deeply uncertain future. "The Americans have been opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran from the very beginning", declared Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his recorded speech broadcast on Thursday from the IRIB state TV compound a short drive away. Iran carries out wave of arrests and executions in wake of Israel conflict

'We are exhausted' - how Iranians are feeling after fragile ceasefire "At its core, it has always been about one thing: they want us to surrender," went on the 86-year Ayatollah, said to have taken shelter in a bunker aer Israel unleashed its unprecedented wave of strikes targeting Iran's nuclear and missile sites and assassinating senior commanders and scientists.

Amir, the barista at Boof cafe, says he wants relations between US and Iran to improve

We watched his speech, his first since President Donald Trump suddenly announced a ceasefire on Tuesday, on a small TV in the only office still intact in a vast section of the IRIB compound - all that's le is a charred skeleton of steel. When an Israeli bomb slammed into this complex on 16 June, a raging fire swept through the main studio which would have aired the supreme leader's address. Now it's just ash. You can still taste its acrid smell; all the TV equipment - cameras, lights, tripods - are tangles of twisted metal. A crunching glass carpet covers the ground. Israel said it targeted the propaganda arm of the Islamic Republic, accusing it of concealing a military operation within - a charge its journalists rejected. Its gaping shell seems to symbolise this darkest of times for Iran. You can also see it in the city's hospitals, which are still treating Iranians injured in Israel's 12-day war.

Moment debris falls in Iran state TV studio after Israeli strikes

"I am scared they might attack again, " Ashraf Barghi tells me when we meet in the emergency department of the Taleghani General hospital where she works as head nurse. "We don't trust this war has ended" she says, in a remark reflecting the palpable worry we've heard from so many people in this city. When Israel bombed the threshold of the nearby Evin prison on 23 June, the casualties, both soldiers and civilians, were rushed into Nurse Barghi's emergency ward. What we know about the Iran-Israel ceasefire "The injuries were the worst I've treated in my 32 years as nurse, even worse than what I saw in the Iran-Iraq war in the 80s," she recounts, still visibly distressed. The strike on the notorious prison where Iran detains most of its political prisoners was described by Israel as "symbolic". It seemed to reinforce Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's repeated message to Iranians to "stand up for their freedom". "Israel says it only hit military and nuclear prison but it's all lies," insists Morteza from his hospital bed. He had been at work in the prison's transport department when the missile slammed into the building. He shows us his injuries in both arms and his backside. In the ward next door, soldiers are being cared for, but we're not allowed to enter there.

Nurse Ashraf Barghi fears that Israel will attack Iran again

A month into Gaza's new aid system - gunfire and chaos are routine

30 minutes ago Share Save Merlyn Thomas, Kevin Nguyen & Kayleen Devlin BBC Verify Share Save

BBC

A month after the start of a controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution system in Gaza, BBC Verify analysis of dozens of videos shows repeated incidents of gunfire near people travelling to collect aid, as well as other moments of chaos and panic. In several of the videos analysed, gunfire can be heard and there are a number showing dead or injured Palestinians. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, in the past month more than 500 people on their way to get aid have been killed and 4,000 injured - the vast majority blamed on Israeli fire by Gazan officials and medics as well as eyewitnesses. BBC Verify has not found videos which allow a definitive assessment of who is responsible for the wave of killings, but the overall picture is one of confusion and constant danger. In statements over the past month, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have several times said they fired "warning shots" at individuals who they described as "suspects" or said posed a threat. The IDF has told BBC Verify that Hamas does "everything in its power to prevent the success of food distribution in Gaza, tries to disrupt aid, and directly harms the citizens of the Gaza Strip". On 18 May Israel announced it was partially easing its 11-week long blockade of aid into Gaza, which it had said was aimed at putting pressure on Hamas to release hostages. The IDF built four aid distribution sites - three in the far south-west of Gaza and one in central Gaza by an Israel security zone known as the Netzarim Corridor - which began operations on 26 May. These sites in IDF-controlled areas - known as SDS 1, 2, 3 and 4 - are operated by security contractors working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with the Israeli military securing the routes to them and the perimeters. On Thursday the US State Department announced $30m (£22m; 26m euros) in funding for the GHF - the first known direct contribution to the group. From the start the UN condemned the plan, saying it would "militarise" aid, bypass the existing distribution network and force Gazans to make long journeys through dangerous territory to get food. Within days of the plan starting, dozens of Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on 1 and 3 June, sparking international condemnation. Since then there have been near-daily reports of killings of people travelling to collect aid.

The IDF said that its "forces conduct systematic learning processes aimed at improving the operational response in the area and minimizing possible friction between the population and the IDF forces". Israeli government spokesman David Mencer called reports of people killed while getting aid "another untruth". "There have not been hundreds of people dying." The GHF denied there had been any "incident or fatalities at or near" any of its distribution sites. On Tuesday, the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah had had to activate its mass casualty procedures 20 times since 27 May, with the vast majority of patients suffering gunshot wounds and saying they had been on the way to an aid site. The UN and its World Food Programme as well as other aid providers are continuing to try to distribute aid in Gaza, but they say they are reliant on the Israeli authorities to facilitate their missions. The UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said the killing of Palestinians trying to access aid was a "likely war crime". International human rights lawyer Sara Elizabeth Dill told BBC Verify that if there had been any intentional targeting of civilians, it could constitute a serious violation of international law. "Mass shootings during civilian relief access violate core rules against targeting civilians and using starvation against them, potentially rising to war crimes," she said.

Chaos on the coast

Three videos, the first of which was published on 9 June, showed hundreds of people, some holding what appear to be empty flour sacks, scrambling over mounds of rubble and hiding in ditches. Several bursts of automatic gunfire can be heard. On that day, the Hamas-run health ministry reported six people had been killed that morning while seeking aid and more than 99 injured. The next day, it reported 36 aid-related deaths and more than 208 injuries.

BBC Verify has analysed videos showing panic and chaos as people try to get aid in Gaza

It's not possible to verify whether any of these casualties were a result of the gunfire that could be heard in the footage. We were able to confirm the videos were filmed from about 4km (2.5 miles) north-west of SDS4, on the way to the site in central Gaza. Audio analysis of the gunfire from Steve Beck, a former FBI consultant who now runs Beck Audio Forensics, said one of the guns sounded like and fired at rates consistent with the FN Minimi machine gun and the M4 assault rifle. The second gun, Mr Beck said, fired at a rate that was "compatible" with the sound of an AK-47. We cannot establish whose weapons were firing but FN Minimis and M4s are commonly used by the IDF, while AK-47s are typically used by Hamas and other groups in Gaza. In footage published the next day, on 10 June, and filmed nearby, more crowds were seen running in panic as the sound of gunfire, followed by what sounds like an explosion, was heard in the distance. Injured and bloodied people, including children, were then seen being carried away. GHF has maps showing "safe passages" to its sites and communicates opening times via WhatsApp and social media.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation "safe passage" to the northernmost aid site

Each passage has a "start point" and a ''stop point" with Palestinians warned that they must not cross the latter until instructed. The GHF has said these corridors are secured by the IDF and warned people that crossing these stop points, unless told to, may be dangerous. But at SDS4 there was no safe passage planned for people coming from the north.

Deaths by the truck

There have also been killings close to non-GHF related aid sites. Verified footage from 17 June showed at least 21 bodies and several injured people on a road in which several vehicles, including a heavily damaged flatbed truck, were parked. Witnesses told the BBC that IDF drones and a tank fired at the crowd as they were waiting to collect aid.

Instagram / @adli_ham In a graphic video we have verified, people run in panic near bodies

An IDF statement acknowledged that it had identified a "gathering" of people "adjacent to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Yunis, and in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area". It said: "The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd's approach." It expressed regret for "any harm to uninvolved individuals" and said the details of the incident were under review. A spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run civil defence agency said at least 50 people were killed at the scene. The video shows a number of the dead around scorch marks on the ground, including one person with their legs blown off. Mark Cancian, from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, noted the lack of obvious impact crater but told us the extent of damage was likely the result of "a lot of direct fire".

Bodies being moved

Another video posted on 16 June, which we've verified, shows bodies pulled on a cart by a horse along al-Rashid street in northern Gaza, the main coastal road and often used by aid convoys. The caption alongside the video claims that these Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid.

Instagram / @mohammed_abu_loay In one verified video, a crowd walks alongside a cart carrying bodies

Starmer climbs down on welfare bill after Labour backlash

54 minutes ago Share Save Share Save

Getty Images

Chris Mason • @ChrisMasonBBC Political editor Sam Francis Political Reporter

The government has confirmed it will make major concessions to rebels in its own party over its planned benefits reforms. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told Labour MPs that claimants of the personal independence payment (Pip) will continue to receive what they currently get, as will recipients of the health element of universal credit. Instead, planned cuts will only hit future claimants. The government made the climbdown after facing the prospect of defeat in the Commons if it failed to accommodate the demands of more than 100 backbenchers. Stephen Kinnock, the minister for care, said it had been "a positive and constructive process" with "a clear agreement" reached.

He told BBC Breakfast that the government had struck "the right balance" between protecting the vulnerable and reforming a "broken system", and said he was confident the reforms would now pass in Parliament. But while the rebels told the BBC their colleagues are happy with the concessions - meaning the government's welfare bill will not be blocked in a vote on Tuesday - some Labour MPs have said they will still vote against the proposals. The government originally hoped to save £5bn a year by 2030 with its Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill - which would change who could qualify for certain disability and sickness benefits - aiming to slow the rise in claimants. Working-age health-related benefits are estimated to cost an extra £30bn by 2029 without reforms. But the government faced growing discontent from around 120 of its own MPs over the changes, who criticised proposals such as a requirement for Pip claimants to prove they need a higher degree of assistance with tasks such as preparing and eating food, communicating, washing and getting dressed. Sir Keir Starmer spent Thursday making calls to shore up support among Labour MPs who backed an amendment to stop the government's flagship welfare bill. Earlier, Sir Keir had told the Commons he wanted to "see reform implemented with Labour values and fairness". As well as changing who will be affected by the cuts, ministers are also expected to fast-track a £1bn support plan originally scheduled for 2029. Dame Meg Hillier, who led the effort to block the government's proposals, said she would now support the government's welfare bill, telling the BBC ministers had offered "reassuring measures". Asked if her fellow Labour MPs would now back the bill, she said the news had arrived late on Thursday evening but she had "already had a flurry of messages from people saying this is a good step forward". She added that if the government had listened more to its MPs, "we might have been in a better place". Pressed on how the changes would be paid for, Dame Meg acknowledged it would be "a challenge" for the chancellor but added: "We cannot take the money out of the pockets of disabled people who have got no other options."

While Dame Meg is now backing the bill, Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said she would still be voting against it unless disabled people received further protections - and that she would be "far from the only one". "All of the MPs I've spoken to who signed the recent amendment - across the party, not just on the left - are sticking to their position because we understand that we're answerable to our constituents," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Asked several times on BBC Breakfast whether the row was over, Anna Dixon, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on carers and welfare cuts, said it was "very difficult" to say because the process had been "all quite rushed". Tuesday's vote is the first opportunity for MPs to support or reject the bill. If it clears this hurdle, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week - rather than days or weeks in front of a committee. Chancellor Rachel Reeves had factored savings from the cuts into her Spring Statement - designed to help meet her economic plans - but it is now unclear how the fresh changes will affect these. Ruth Curtice, head of the Resolution Foundation, said the government's U-turn could cost up to £3bn. Working-age health-related benefit spending has increased from £36bn to £52bn between 2019 and 2024, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank. It is expected to double to £66bn by 2029 without changes to the system.

This is now the third government U-turn in a month - a major blow to the prime minister's authority. It follows on from Sir Keir reversing cuts to winter fuel payments and ordering a grooming gangs inquiry he initially resisted. One of the main co-ordinators behind the welfare amendment, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC the winter fuel decision had emboldened many of the rebels this time. They told the BBC that MPs "all voted for winter fuel [cuts] and have taken so much grief in our constituencies, so colleagues think: why should I take that on again?" The Tories described the concessions understood to have been offered to Labour rebels as "the latest in a growing list of screeching U-turns" from the government. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride said: "Under pressure from his own MPs, Starmer has made another completely unfunded spending commitment."

One of the rebels, Alex Sobel, the MP for Leeds Central and Headingley, also told BBC Newsnight he was concerned the changes could create a "two-tier" system - a concern echoed by other Labour backbenchers. Challenged on this, Kinnock said ministers were reforming a "complex system" in a "staggered way". It is understood that plans for the amendment began when Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall offered a partial olive branch to rebels by expanding the transition period for anyone losing Pip from four to 13 weeks. A No 10 spokesperson said: "This package will preserve the social security system for those who need it by putting it on a sustainable footing, provide dignity for those unable to work, supports those who can and reduce anxiety for those currently in the system."

Henry Pollock must replicate the energy and abrasiveness that have fuelled his meteoric rise so far, says head coach Andy Farrell as the 20-year-old starts for the British and Irish Lions for the first time.

Pollock will pack down at number eight as the Lions take on Western Force in their first tour game on Australian soil on Saturday.

"You want people with confidence and belief because that helps when he takes the field," said head coach Andy Farrell.

"You don't want a kid to go under the radar and in three weeks' time just settle into a side. You pick him for a reason.

"He's a Lion just like the eldest player. There's no difference whatsoever. His character is infectious to everyone. He's a great lad."

Pollock's try celebrations, most famously checking his pulse after streaking past Sam Prendergast in Northampton's Champions Cup semi-final upset of Leinster, have been part of his appeal, and Farrell has given him permission to continue with his celebration routines.

"He's certainly not overawed. I mean, I love that. You want kids to be themselves and he's just being himself. He doesn't know any different," said Farrell.

"He's hungry to learn and that's perfect because you can see that he's got a real point of difference.

"He sees things quickly and acts upon that. His line running is pretty good. His awareness of space, how sharp he is in his mind and his athletic abilities are up there with the other lads in the squad.

"He's hungry to make a difference the whole time. But he also understands what parts of his game he needs to improve. He's got a great attitude."

Before the start of this season, Pollock's experience of senior top-flight rugby was limited to half an hour off the bench in a Premiership loss to Leicester.

But his barnstorming performances for Northampton this season earned him the league's breakthrough of the season award, a nomination for the Champions Cup player of the year and elevation to the England senior squad, for whom he scored two tries on his debut against Wales in March.

He would be the youngest Test Lion of the professional era if he appears in the series against Australia.