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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed that Israel is arming clans in Gaza that he says are opposed to Hamas.

His comments came after Israeli media reports quoted defence sources as saying Netanyahu had authorised giving weapons to one particular group in the south of Gaza.

Several Israeli politicians have accused Netanyahu of endangering Israeli security.

"What's wrong with this?" Netanyahu says in a short video he's tweeted. "It only saves the lives of Israeli solders", he continues – "and publicising it only helps Hamas".

What the Israeli prime minister is referring to are the reports that Israel under his authorisation has been supplying weapons to a clan in Gaza led by a man called Yasser Abu Shabab.

The group, which some see as a militia or a criminal gang, has presented itself as an opposition force to Hamas.

It says its aim is to protect trucks bringing aid into Gaza, but critics say it is doing the opposite and is looting them.

The revelations may have been brushed off by Benjamin Netanyahu, but they have the potential of developing into a serious new political scandal.

Israeli defence sources had earlier confirmed to local journalists that accusations made by the opposition politician Avigdor Lieberman were correct.

Lieberman, who heads the Yisrael Beiteinu party, had told the public broadcaster, Kan, that Netanyahu had unilaterally approved the transfer of weapons to the Abu Shabab clan.

"The Israeli government is giving weapons to a group of criminals and felons, identified with the Islamic State group," Lieberman said.

"To my knowledge, this did not go through approval by the cabinet," he added.

Defence sources subsequently confirmed that Israel had been arming the Abu Shabab clan with Kalashnikov rifles, including some that had been seized from Hamas.

The clan has been operating in Rafah, in an area under Israeli military control.

However, Yasser Abu Shabab posted online to "categorically reject" that Israel had supplied his group's weapons.

"Our weapons are simple, outdated and came through the support of our own people," he said.

Hamas sources have said that Abu Shabab's activities have become an issue – with one report in an Arabic newspaper saying that the Hamas armed wing had begun carrying out assassinations of members of the clan.

Netanyahu's office said that Israel "was working to defeat Hamas through various means, based on the recommendations of all the heads of the security establishment".

Strong criticism of the initiative has come from Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats in the Knesset.

In a social media post on X he said: "Netanyahu is a threat to Israel's national security. Instead of bringing about a deal…bringing the hostages home and providing security for Israeli citizens, he is creating a new ticking time-bomb in Gaza".

More than 200,000 people descend on the small village of Badminton in Gloucestershire every May.

The Badminton Horse Trials are a must for anyone who has or likes horses, elite sport and shopping.

It is an annual competition in which horse-and-rider pairs go head-to-head in three different disciplines – dressage, cross country, and showjumping.

It is full of thrills and spills and is one of the key events in the equestrian calendar.

Reform UK has doubled the number of local councillors it has on a Norfolk local authority after two by-elections.

Jacqueline Fry won the seat on the Fairstead ward at the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Businessman Austen Moore won the North Lynn seat, meaning the party now has four councillors in total on the local authority.

The Conservative Party did not field candidates in either by-election after struggling to find people to stand.

There were only 14 votes in it between Fry and the Liberal Democrat candidate Crystal Colwell.

Turnout for the ward, which covers one of the most deprived estates in the Borough, was 17%.

The result for Reform was more convincing in North Lynn, with Moore winning by 125 votes. Although the turnout there was lower – at 13%.

Moore, a businessman and life coach who lives in King's Lynn, joined Reform 12 months ago.

"I'm a realist. I want to help the people I'll represent and make a difference," he said.

"It's a mistake to go into a place and tell them this is what they need.

"Until I speak with members of the community I won't know what I'm going to focus on."

The Tories denied that the party was on the retreat in west Norfolk, saying it just had not been possible to find candidates to field.

Reform has a total of 11 councillors across the various local authorities in Norfolk.

A driver who was filmed speeding at nearly 90mph on a residential road shortly before a fatal crash has been sentenced to more than six years in prison.

Finley Lintott-Warrillow from North East Road in Southampton, admitted causing the death by dangerous driving of Brandon Cousens, 19, who was in the front passenger seat. A rear passenger survived.

The 21-year-old lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa, hitting a wall and parked cars before flying into the air in Middle Road in Sholing, Southampton.

Judge Nigel Peters KC said he was driving at speeds "more akin to a racetrack than a residential road".

In a victim impact statement Brandon Cousen's mother Charlene Cousens said he was a "kind, caring and loving child".

She said his death had left "a hole in the family's heart that can never be filled".

Ms Cousens said Brandon was "always laughing and smiling, living his life how he wanted to right up to the moment he took his last breath".

She said: "It is so heart-breaking as a family knowing that we will never get the chance to see him grow into a man, celebrate his 21st birthday, future birthdays, get married, have children and watch him live out all the dreams and life experiences he wanted in life."

Southampton Crown Court heard Lintott-Warrillow had been driving his friends home in a black Vauxhall Corsa after going out for food together in Portswood in the early hours of 5 March 2023.

Police were then called at 00:48 to a report of a collision on Middle Road, Southampton.

CCTV footage from the junction of Middle Road and South East Road, just moments before the collision, showed the Corsa being driven at approximately 87mph.

The road has a 30mph limit and had cars parked on both sides of the road.

Police investigators found that Lintott-Warrillow lost control of his car, crashed into a wall and the speed of his driving was so extreme that the car was launched at least 15m through the air after the initial impact.

Chf Insp Emma Hart said: "Brandon had his whole life ahead of him and his family has now been torn apart by the devastating consequences of that speeding. Our thoughts are with them today.

"National research has found that young male car drivers aged 17 to 24 are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over.

"I hope this sends a message to all young drivers out there to not take unnecessary risks that could see themselves or their friends killed."

A police officer sacked after racist and offensive messages he sent to colleagues on WhatsApp resurfaced won an appeal and will be reinstated.

Jack Thrumble worked for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary until April 2024 but sent the messages when he was an unpaid special constable for Dorset Police.

A Police Appeals Tribunal found a finding of misconduct should replace a previous finding of gross misconduct last month.

Mr Thrumble will be subject to an 18-month written warning and has been removed from the College of Policing's barred list.

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary spokesperson said the force "will now work with him regarding the next steps".

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last year that his dismissal showed "offensive and racially discriminatory" behaviour would not be tolerated.

A new plaque remembering civilians in Canterbury who were killed in World War Two has been installed in the city's cemetery.

About 50 people who died in two major raids targeting the city's cathedral in 1942 are buried alongside each other at the cemetery.

Their graves were discovered by Canterbury Historical Association chairman Julian Waltho, who traced the names using local archives.

A short service of remembrance will be held on Sunday when the names of all of those who died will be read out.

Mr Waltho said the timing of that second raid contributed to the large loss of life.

He explained: "It took place around tea time, and the city was still quite busy with buses running and the barrage balloons had been taken down."

The aircraft were "able to fly low over the city which was caught unprepared for what unfolded", he added.

According to Mr Waltho, the discovery of the graves during a general tour was "really significant".

"Although the cemetery is really well kept there was no recognition of who the graves belonged to and there are 50 so it's a significant area," he said.

Two days before Canterbury was bombed much of the medieval city of Cologne, Germany, was destroyed by British bombers.

The attack on Canterbury was reported in the German media as revenge for Cologne.

Efforts to install the new plaque have been supported by Canterbury City Council and the Canterbury Commemoration Society.

Surviving relatives of those buried at the cemetery are invited to Sunday's service, which is due to start at 14:00 BST.

Refuse trucks have been "delayed" in Birmingham because of strike action in the ongoing bin workers' dispute, says the local authority.

Birmingham City Council posted on social media that its vehicles had been held up at some depots.

The dispute, which saw all-out action begin on 11 March after earlier on-and-off walkouts, will enter mediation talks between the authority and the union, Unite, at conciliation service Acas next week, starting on 1 May.

After residents were hit by further collection delays on Friday, the BBC approached both the council and Unite for comment.

On X, the council wrote: "As of 8.30am there are delays with our waste wagons leaving some of the depots due to industrial action by Unite the Union.

"We apologise for the current situation. Please leave bins at the edge of your property (or collection point) we'll collect asap."

'Used to it now'

It comes after it was confirmed that Craig Cooper, the council's strategic director of city operations – who previously had described it as "disappointing" that an agreement had not been reached with Unite – will leave his role in June.

The local authority announced his departure on Friday, adding that he will continue in the role until his departure, when Richard Brooks will step in for an interim period while his full-time replacement is recruited.

The council declared a major incident in March as a backlog of waste accumulated in the city with bin bags stacked several feet high.

Help came from expert army planners and disaster relief volunteers as the council tackled the rubbish heaps, and Jim McMahon, local government minister, said regular collections had been removed after at least 26,000 tonnes of waste were cleared from the streets.

However, residents in Kitchener Road, Selly Park, have told the Local Democracy Reporting Service how the bin bags pile up again soon after they are cleared.

People living there described their relief after a huge mountain of waste on a street corner was cleared two weeks ago, only to be faced with two separate heaps of rubbish by Thursday this week.

One resident said: "It's got to the stage where we're used to it now. We've just got to wait for it to be cleared and hope the dispute gets resolved soon."

Others reported seeing rats at night and foxes rummaging through rubbish and tearing bags apart.

Birmingham City Council has said a "fair and reasonable offer" has been made and "not a single worker needs to lose a penny".

Unite has said a deal could be within "touching distance" ahead of talks at Acas next week.

A food bank has launched an urgent appeal for donations, after its stock reached the lowest level in years.

Lincoln Foodbank, which is run by the charity Acts Trust in partnership with The Trussell Trust, said it was concerned about how it would continue to support local people in need if supplies run out.

Staff said the situation was due to a significant fall in donations, alongside a rise in demand.

Services manager Carolyn Bradbury said: "The situation is dire. We've got about two weeks worth of food left in the warehouse if no other food comes in. We've never had it this empty before."

She added: "We are at a point now of having to go out and buy food. We've never had to do that before, but now we are. That is a sign that donations have dropped."

Lincoln Foodbank said it sends out between 150 and 160 food parcels per week, containing at least three days worth of meals for single people, couples, and families.

But staff expressed their concern about maintaining this if supplies run any lower.

Ms Bradbury said: "We do this because we want to help people, and if there's no food we can't.

"The best way to help is just to give. Give what you can. It doesn't matter how small it is, just put it in a donation tub and we'll get it out there."

The charity is also asking those who want to help to download the BanktheFood app, which keeps track of exactly what products are needed.

There are also various donation points at supermarkets across Lincoln where dry goods can be dropped off.

The Trussell Trust, which supports a network of food banks, said it had noticed a similar pattern across the country.

"Food banks in the Trussell community across the UK are facing challenging times, with some at breaking point, as they seek to continue to serve their communities," a spokesperson said.

"The public are extremely generous with their donations of food and money. However, due to rising costs, these donations don't stretch as far as they once did."

The charity encouraged anyone who needs to use a food bank to get in touch with their local food bank to find out how to access support.

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

A woman who is believed to have been murdered while walking her dog was found unresponsive by passers-by, a court has heard.

Anita Rose, 57, was found seriously injured in her home village of Brantham, Suffolk, on the morning of 24 July.

Rachel Island, who was also walking her dog, said she thought Ms Rose had been attacked as she was found only wearing a bra on her top half.

Roy Barclay, 56, of no fixed address, is on trial at Ipswich Crown Court and denies murder.

Giving evidence, Ms Island said she was the second person to arrive at the scene.

She said she did not know Ms Rose but had seen her on dog walks before.

Ms Island said she believed an "attack had happened" as Ms Rose would not normally be out only wearing a bra and it was a cool morning.

She said Ms Rose had "laboured breathing" and patches of blood on her face.

Jerome Tassel, also giving evidence, told jurors he was on his regular cycle from his home in Hadleigh to Manningtree railway station when he found Ms Rose alone "flat on her back" across a gravel path with blood on the left side of her face.

She was breathing and making "snoring" like sounds but was otherwise unresponsive, he said.

He said her dog Bruce was lying "patiently" next to her and the lead was wrapped twice around her leg

Tracey Lea, who said she had been friends with Ms Rose for more than two years, told jurors the pair regularly walked their dogs together.

Ms Rose liked to go out early as her dog could misbehave and she did not like him to "interfere" with others, Ms Lea described.

She said that she would never go out without her phone.

Prosecutors allege Mr Barclay had taken the device and dumped it to "put the police off the trail"

Prosecutors claim that Mr Barclay had been "on the run" trying to avoid being "recalled back to prison", when he killed Ms Rose.

Mr Barclay sat in the court dock, appearing with a shaved head, grey beard and wearing glasses with a grey tracksuit.

The trial continues.

Up to 4,000 trees infected with a deadly disease that pose a risk to public safety will be felled or made safe after councillors allocated £2.8m for the work.

Bristol City Council has agreed to spend the money on felling ash trees that are in the latter stages of ash dieback – a windblown fungus that makes trees brittle – focusing on those that could collapse near roads and properties.

Part of the money will be spent on replacement tree planting, which will eventually increase Bristol's tree canopy, the council said.

The three Labour members on the public health and communities committee refused to support the plans while the other three parties voted in favour.