Nigeria’s military has killed 45 “bandits” after they allegedly tried to steal a herd of cattle, according to local officials.

The militant gang members were shot dead during a gun battle with troops in Danmusa, in the state of Katsina in northern Nigeria, on Friday.

An army captain and two soldiers were also killed in the fighting, officials said.

State security commissioner Nasir Mua’zu said the group initially made a failed attempt to take the animals on Thursday.

“Seeking revenge, the bandits returned in large numbers on March 6,” he said.

“What followed was an intense and fierce battle. The army successfully neutralised all 45 bandits.”

Members of the local community helped repel the initial attempted theft on Thursday before the “prolonged” battle the following day, according to Nigerian media.

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The military in the West African country has recently been struggling to maintain security amid a spate of attacks by different armed groups.

They include Islamist groups such as Lakurawa, Boko Haram and its breakaway faction known as Islamic State West Africa Province.

Several “bandit” gangs, specialising in kidnapping for ransom and illegal mining, have also been blamed for attacks in the north of the country.

Last month, the violence prompted the US to send around 100 troops to Nigeria to provide advice and training to its army on tackling the threats.

In another attack on Friday, more than 300 people, including women and children, were abducted by militants from the town of Ngoshe in the country’s northeast.

Several thousand people have been killed as a result of militant violence across the country, according to the UN, with the government accused of not doing enough to protect its citizens.

Donald Trump’s war with Iran is rapidly becoming global, with more than a dozen other countries in the firing line, or mobilising their armed forces, as Tehran fights back.

The UK, France and Spain are among the nations sending warships, jets and troops to the region to bolster their defences and protect their allies, while states across the Middle East, as well as Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan, have been affected by Iranian drones and missiles.

The US is also not restricting its strikes against the Islamic regime to any geographical boundary, with an American submarine sinking an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka.

Follow live updates on the Iran war

Warnings about World War Three have long been voiced ever since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago.

That was because of fears the conflict could spill over into neighbouring NATO states in Europe, drawing the nuclear-armed alliance into direct confrontation with Moscow, which also has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons.

This risk remains.

But the world has just become even more combustible because of the US president’s decision, along with Israel, to attack Iran with a ferocity of firepower that exceeded the opening days of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Since the fighting began on 28 February, the US military says it has struck more than 3,000 targets. Israeli warplanes have also conducted hundreds of sorties. The onslaught claimed the life of Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, in the opening salvo.

In response, Iranian forces have fired multiple waves of missiles and drones against US forces in the region and Israel, but also against Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and even Oman, despite Muscat having played an important role in negotiating between Tehran and Washington in the past.

The Iranian president on Saturday issued an apology to his neighbours, and said there would be no more strikes against them, provided that no attacks targeting his country originate from US forces on their respective territories. However, Iranian munitions have continued to hit Gulf states, though perhaps not at the same intensity.

The US military has said it has already seriously degraded Iran’s ability to attack, with Mr Trump warning of even more devastating strikes to come

Yet the Iranian side is vowing to keep fighting rather than heed American demands to surrender.

Pete Hegseth, who describes himself as the US secretary of war, has said the American operation could last eight weeks – an indication of the sheer number of targets the US must have amassed.

Mr Trump has vowed to destroy all Iranian missile and naval capabilities, and to prevent the country from ever having a nuclear weapons programme.

However, the longer the attacks continue, the greater the risk of miscalculation that could ignite an even wider war.

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The battle lines in the Middle East already have crossovers with Russia’s war in Europe, though they have not really reached Asia, with China so far giving a muted response.

Moscow has for years received weapons from Tehran, while Kyiv is backed by a coalition of allies, including the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Canada. The US is also an important source of munitions for Ukraine.

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Andrei Kelin says Russia is ‘sympathetic’ with Iran.

Now reports are emerging of Russian forces providing intelligence to Iran that could help Tehran target American warships, troops and bases in the Gulf. At the same time, the US has asked Ukrainian soldiers for support in countering Iranian drones.

These alliances and allegiances underline the complexity of the chaos – and just how dangerous a moment this is.

Callum Doyle showed great instincts inside the area to divert a shot from Josh Windass into the back of the net, but Wrexham’s lead was short-lived once again as Josh Acheampong equalised emphatically four minutes later. A red card for George Dobson in second half stoppage time left Wrexham with a huge mountain to climb and despite forcing the tie into extra-time, Garnacho’s fine finish and then Joao Pedro’s superb strike ultimately proved decisive in a thrilling FA Cup showdown. Follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.

The Bishop Auckland Town Of Culture Forum held its second meeting yesterday (Friday, March 7) at the Spanish Gallery, to discuss their bid set to be submitted in the coming weeks.

The winner of the title, expected to be announced in early 2027, will scoop a £3m prize and two runners-up will pocket £250,000 each.

But Bishop is not alone – in the North East, Gateshead, Blyth North Shields and Berwick-upon-Tweed are hoping to end up on the shortlist.

If Bishop Auckland make the shortlist, the town will be awarded £60,000 before submitting its final bid to win in autumn.

On Friday’s agenda was the town’s ‘story’, heritage, success stories as a number of residents gave feedback on what they thought should be included in the preliminary bid to make the town stand out.

Three category winners – for towns under 20,000 population, under 75,000 and up to 100,000 – will be announced in the late autumn.

Bishop Auckland is likely to enter the medium-sized category and would include West Auckland, Escomb, Witton Park and Shildon in its bid.

Cllr Sam Zair, Mayor of Bishop Auckland previously said: “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for Bishop Auckland.

“Our town has a powerful cultural story to tell from our heritage assets and events programme to the creativity, passion, and dedication of our residents and volunteers.

“Our bid will demonstrate that culture isn’t only about performance and heritage; it’s about people, identity, pride of place, and community connection.

“Winning Town of Culture would help us drive forward positive change.”

Bishop Auckland MP Sam Rushworth said in January: “We are not creating culture, we are recognising it and celebrating it because the story of Bishop Auckland belongs to everyone.

“We have the opportunity to show the whole country what we already know: that Bishop Auckland is a town of culture. Let’s make it official!”

As BBC racing pundit John Hunt prepares to return to Cheltenham next week, he has opened up about how he is attempting to move on from the horrifying murder of his wife and two daughters.

BBC racing commentator John Hunt has opened up about his unimaginable grief, following the death of his wife and two daughters, Louise and Hannah. The three women were killed by Louise’s ex boyfriend Kyle Clifford on 9 July 2024, who murdered them in a horrifying act of violence in their own home in Bushey, Herts., using a crossbow.

Clifford, a former soldier, from Enfield, London, was 26 when he pleaded guilty to murdering the three women in 2025. However, as he denied also raping Louise, he forced the murdered women’s family and friends to endure the horror of a trial, during which the horrific details of his crimes were dissected.

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He was eventually convicted of the murders and rape, and was sentenced in March 2025. In a final act of cowardice, the killer refused to attend the sentencing, where he received a whole life order.

And now, as he prepares to work at Cheltenham races next week, John, 61, has opened up on the aftermath of losing his wife and two daughters. Speaking to the Telegraph, he explained how he has learned not to push his recovery “too hard”, as it leads him to ‘unravel’.

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John said: “It [grief] writes its own rules, it’s the strangest thing. You can wake up at half past seven one morning and think, ‘I feel quite bright today’. And then, for no reason at all, come half past eight, you’re on your knees again.”

He said that he has accepted he doesn’t have control over how he feels, admitting that he feels “a strength in the surrender” but he is “still exploring” how to navigate it. John added: “You develop a confidence that you can cope, even though nothing changes.”

John and his daughter Amy have co-founded The Hunt Family Fund, which was set up in memory of their loved ones. The pair took part in a moving interview last year, with the pair discussing the grieving process and how they keep the memory of the family alive.

John said that Carol, Louise and Hannah remained a constant presence in their lives, and that he still talks to them every day. He said: “From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them.

“Sometimes I say out loud to Hannah and Louise, ‘girls, sorry I can’t be with you, I’m with your mum at the moment’. As I close my eyes at night, I chat to them as well. They’re very close to me all the time.”

John and Amy say they took the decision to talk because they did not want their loved ones to be defined by their deaths. Amy says the minute Clifford left their home on the day of the incident, “my mum, Hannah and Louise became a statistic. They became victims of Kyle Clifford”. She added: “I want to breathe life back into my mum, Hannah and Louise as fully-rounded people.”

They also firmly rejected claims that Clifford showed signs of abuse during his relationship with Louise. Amy said: “Did we have any indication that this man was capable of stabbing my mother, of tying Louise up, of raping Louise, of shooting Louise and shooting Hannah? Absolutely not.”

The Hunt family were always extremely close and supportive. John’s wife Carol encouraged him to leave his job as a police officer to follow his dream of becoming a racing commentator. John, Carol, Hannah and Louise lived together.

Louise ran a dog-grooming business from a pod in the garden, while Hannah worked in aesthetics. Their life, John said, was “one of complete happiness – awash with it, really”.

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Lynette Pino watched in February as news about the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie seemed endless. But she decided she didn’t want to get consumed by it.

Pino has something in common with NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s family: Her son, Darian Nevayaktewa, remains missing, too, nearly 18 years after leaving home before a new school year to see his father in Arizona.

“I could see in their faces that they want answers,” said Pino, 58, from Tesuque Pueblo in New Mexico. “What’s the next step? What can we do? It’s how I feel. There are no answers. I just pray for them and the other people who are missing.”

“Why,” she added, “would someone take an elderly lady?”

Pino and the Guthries are experiencing what experts call ambiguous loss. A loved one has disappeared, making it maddeningly mysterious and possibly permanent. Abductions, runaways, certain natural disasters and war can fit the category. So, too, can dementia when family members become strangers.

“They’re frozen in their grief. They have a real sense of helplessness,” said Tai Mendenhall, a medical family therapist at the University of Minnesota and director of a mental health disaster team. “There’s no clear resolution from it. We know from research that ambiguous loss is the most psychologically painful kind of loss because of that.”

Pauline Boss is a pioneer in the field and is credited with coming up with the term. In the 1970s, she interviewed women in California whose husbands were missing in action in the Vietnam War. Boss and Mendenhall worked with families after the 9/11 terrorist attack at New York’s World Trade Center.

Guthries cope with prayer

Nancy Guthrie, 84, who lived alone, was reported missing from her Tucson-area home Feb. 1. Savannah Guthrie says her mother was “taken in the dark of night from her bed.” The FBI released video more than a week later from a camera outside Nancy Guthrie’s front door showing a masked stranger. Her blood was found on the porch, but the case remains unsolved.

The odd circumstances and Savannah Guthrie’s celebrity as a TV personality have turned the investigation into a major news story. Guthrie has made videos, some with siblings Annie and Camron, in which she repeatedly appealed for her mother’s release and lately offered a $1 million reward for information.

“As my sister says, ‘We are blowing on the embers of hope,’ ” Guthrie said on Feb. 24, her eyes red.

Guthrie, Annie and brother-in-law Tommaso Cioni recently placed flowers at a roadside memorial at the home. They reached down to read handwritten notes and consoled each other with deep hugs. Guthrie also returned Thursday for an emotional reunion with her NBC colleagues in New York.

She has referred to her Christian faith during the ordeal, asking people earlier on Instagram to “raise your prayers with us” and acknowledging recently that Nancy Guthrie might already be in heaven dancing “with our daddy.” It’s something that can help people cope with ambiguous loss, experts say.

“When people turn toward their faith, that is where they find solace,” Mendenhall said. “Oftentimes the power of faith comes from the communities that inhabit it. Sometimes the best treatment for ambiguous loss is a community group, people who have had this shared experience.”

Son’s trip turns into mystery

Pino said she regularly turns to prayer as she copes with the plight of her missing son, who was 19 when he vanished in June 2008. Nevayaktewa’s disappearance is among many unsolved cases of violent crime in Native American communities. The FBI last year said it was sending extra agents, analysts and other personnel to 10 states to try to make a difference.

“He wanted to go see his dad on the Hopi reservation in Arizona,” Pino said of her son. “I just remember that day hugging him, telling him he only needed a half-semester to graduate from high school. He wasn’t there long, maybe a week, before he disappeared. Someone took him somewhere — I don’t know. Hard to say.”

Savannah Guthrie said her family is donating $500,000 to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, citing “millions of families that have suffered” with similar uncertainty.

Pino said she prayed and lit candles for Nevayaktewa during a trip to Arizona last summer around the anniversary of his disappearance.

“Do not give up hope,” Pino said she would tell the Guthries. “Don’t let law enforcement put it aside.”

A planning application has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council for a housing development on a 1.1-hectare field off Main Street and Hungerhill Lane in Wombleton, near Helmsley.

Planning documents say the scheme aims to create a “distinctive residential environment” that reflects the character of the village while providing modern homes with private gardens, off-street parking and renewable energy provision.

However, the site lies outside the village’s development limits set out in the Ryedale Local Plan, and the proposals have attracted opposition locally.

Wombleton Parish Council has unanimously objected to the scheme, raising concerns about the scale of the development and its potential impact on the conservation area.

The layout of the proposed Wombleton development.

The council said development within conservation areas must preserve or enhance their character and warned the number of homes proposed would represent a significant increase in housing in the village.

The parish council also questioned whether Wombleton was a sustainable location for development of this scale, citing limited services, employment opportunities and public transport.

As well as submitting its concerns to the council, the parish council has written to Thirsk and Malton MP, Kevin Hollinrake, asking for him to review the application.

The letter states: “The parish council and many residents have a number of concerns relating to the scale of the development and its clash with adopted planning policies for rural settlements.

“Members are particularly concerned about sustainability, infrastructure capacity, and the impact on the character of this ancient village, which has conservation area status, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book.”

Residents responding to an earlier consultation raised similar concerns, including the potential for increased traffic on Main Street and Hungerhill Lane and the impact the scheme could have on the village’s character and layout.

The location of the proposed development in Wombleton.

Further concerns were raised about infrastructure, including drainage and the capacity of nearby sewage treatment facilities.

The application is currently being assessed by North Yorkshire Council’s planning department.

The parish council has asked for the plans to be decided by councillors on the area planning committee rather than officers.

The proposal, submitted on behalf of Yorkshire Land Limited, includes a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes, including detached and semi-detached houses as well as bungalows. Eight of the properties would be classed as affordable housing.

Access to the development would be from Hungerhill Lane, while existing trees and hedgerows around the site would be retained and supplemented with additional planting.

“It’s the most wholesome event where there’s only one rule: no phones.”

A Derry group helping adults connect with each other outside of their phones is about to celebrate two years since its creation.

Derry Meet Ups, created by Cassie Jane after her return to her home town, takes people away from their phones and social media and allows them to spend time with people whom they may have otherwise never met.

Their offline café has become one of their most popular events, with people seeking time to switch off and connect in real life.

Cassie spoke to MyDerry about how far the group has come.

She said: “I moved home to Derry nearly five years ago. I didn’t know anyone here, and when I was about two years in, I started to feel really disconnected.

“I had people around me, but not any deeper friendships where I felt I could say, ‘Should we go to this?’ I had a huge desire to go and try everything that I could in the North West.

“We have so much in this corner of the world, and I wanted more people to see that. So one day, on a very lonely weekend in April, I put out a reel on Instagram that said ‘does anyone want to go on hikes, beach walks, creative workshops, coffee catch ups and just try new things?!’

“The response was explosive. It had 60,000 views, 1,000 followers overnight, and so many messages asking, ‘When is the first event?’ From there, Derry Meet Ups was born. Now we’re two years in, a social enterprise and an absolute success in getting people connected.”

From one Instagram post, Cassie realised how many people were seeking adult friendships and time away from their phones.

She said: “Our flagship event has become our Offline Café at Salumeria Mariucci. It’s the most wholesome event where there’s only one rule: no phones.

“People bring whatever they need to switch off, whether that’s a craft project, card game, board game, colouring – whatever! We get a hot drink and a treat, and everyone has two hours to simply connect with the other people around them.

“It’s quite often a lot of people’s first event with us, so it has become really special. It’s now become our most popular event, and we’ve a solid group of people who come to every single one.”

Derry Meet Ups isn’t just about creating a fun atmosphere; it is tackling deep-rooted problems within the community surrounding loneliness.

Cassie said: “Community funding is due to be cut by 64% in Northern Ireland at the end of this month, and recent Individual Wellbeing figures show that 1 in 4 people in Foyle are tackling loneliness. With loneliness going up and funding going down, there truly can’t be enough options for community building.

“I’ve learnt that, for the amount of loneliness there is in the world, there is far too much stigma around it.

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“I think a lot of people have a realisation like I did that they are disconnected, and they can sometimes take it as a personal failure, but there are so many pockets in time where someone might be less connected; when they move to a new city, move jobs, come home or are simply out of sync with the friends they do have and are a different life stage.

“Derry Meet Ups is there to plug that pause of connection.

“My next chapter with Meet Ups is to encourage the next wave of community builders, and give them the infrastructure to create the spaces they want.”

For their second birthday, Derry Meet Ups has something special planned.

Cassie said: “On March 30, we are having a Grown Up Birthday Party! We’ve hired out The Playhouse to give us 100 seats for people to come and see what we’re all about.

“The night will start as an Offline Café, and then we’re going to be screening something very exciting – our very own short documentary – ‘How to Build A Village’, directed, written, produced and edited by one of our members, Jonathan Cullen.

“I’ll have a couple of other surprises to share on the night regarding the future of Derry Meet Ups, so it’s going to be an incredible evening.

“We particularly encourage anyone who hasn’t joined us before to come along to this event, as it will give them the perfect introduction to what we’ve done, who we are and what we are planning to do!”

Derry Meet Ups post regularly to their Instagram page, and their upcoming events can be seen here

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After Strictly Come Dancing star Amy Dowden starts to allow herself to relax following her harrowing cancer ordeal, the dancer is left with a question mark over her life-long wish to become a mum

Strictly star Amy Dowden says she feels there is a “big, dark cloud” over her, as she worries her lifelong dream will never become a reality. The 35-year-old underwent a gruelling treatment plan after being diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2023.

The professional dancer had chemotherapy, a mastectomy and hormone therapy, as medics fought to give her the best chance of beating the disease. Thankfully, she was eventually given the all-clear in March 2024, with doctors finding ‘no evidence of disease’.

But although she returned to the BBC dance competition that year, she was again forced to pull out of the show, after suffering a foot injury while she was partnered up with JLS star JB Gill. Amy has now admitted she “wasn’t ready or well enough” to return to Strictly – but as well as the fear of losing her hard-earned career, she is left wondering if she will ever be able to have a baby.

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Speaking to the Mirror, Amy said: “Obviously, there is a big, dark cloud over me. Will I become a mother? I’ve wanted to be a mummy since I was a little girl.

“I was one of those girls who would always have a little baby Annabelle. And I have two gorgeous nephews, who I love to pieces. But we will cross that bridge when it comes to it and I will explore every option going.”

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Amy who married fellow dancer Ben Jones in 2022, was put into an early, hormone-induced menopause when she started her course of chemotherapy. The couple froze five embryos, but it’s not certain whether Amy will be able to safely carry a child herself.

In November 2025, the Welsh native underwent her second mastectomy, this time as a preventative measure. Amy was fearful that having cancer could lead to the end of her career, but she was determined to build up the strength to get back to the dancefloor.

Amy explained: “After what happened in 2023 and 2024, I realised I wasn’t ready or well enough to be on the show. I either had to hang up my dance shoes or dig deep. So I worked hard to get my body back to where it was before.

“After I finished chemo, I struggled to even walk up the stairs. When you’ve had something taken away from you, you appreciate it even more. It gave me the confidence I needed and last year, I realised Amy’s back. Cancer wasn’t going to take dancing away from me.”

Amy keeps on top of her health with regular check ups, but she says after her mastectomy in November, she can “finally see a future”. On World Cancer Day on 4 February, Amy showed her gratitude to those who supported her through her ordeal, sharing her story and clips of her treatment, hair loss and eventual return to Strictly.

While she admits it’s not always easy to show such vulnerability so publicly, she is spurred on by how it can help others who are also dealing with cancer. Explaining how sharing her journey has given others inspiration, she said: “Sometimes sharing yourself at your most vulnerable is not easy, but I also want to show the reality and try to help others.

“So many people have written to me saying, ‘I’ve been able to tell my little girl that Mummy’s not well, but look at Amy – she’s back dancing on Strictly again’. And that means so much to me. I’ve been on that other side, that daughter who has watched their mum go through it. I know how that felt.”

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“At Silent Cuts we ensure that when anxiety gets in the way the door just doesn’t close behind you, we keep it open.”

It’s almost six months since Northern Ireland’s first sensory-friendly hair salon opened its doors, marking an important milestone for inclusive services in the local community.

Silent Cuts is based at Scotch Street in Downpatrick and a safe and quiet space for anybody wanting to have their hair cut or styled in a calm environment.

Staffed by stylists Brenda Devlin and Olwyn McColl, Silent Cuts is believed to be the first hair salon of its kind in Northern Ireland, created specifically to support people who may find traditional hairdressers overwhelming.

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Silent Cuts welcomes anyone who would benefit from a calm, understanding hairdressing experience. This includes people with learning disabilities, autistic people, and anyone who prefers a quieter, calmer hairdressing experience.

The salon offers both regular appointments and one-to-one (1:1) sessions, allowing each visit to be tailored to the individual. Clients can choose what works best for them, including reduced noise, gentle lighting, minimal conversation, and flexible approaches such as extra time.

The salon was developed by Mainstay DRP, a local charity supporting adults with learning disabilities and autism, following feedback from people who found everyday experiences, such as getting a haircut, stressful or inaccessible.

Olywn told Belfast Live: “We think it’s probably the only fully sensory salon in Northern Ireland. We’re finding more and more people are coming in and going ‘I prefer quiet’, but it’s primarily for people with neurodivergent and learning difficulties.

“We offer three different types of appointments: an ordinary sensory appointment where someone might be happy enough to come in, sit down, get their haircut, but there might be certain things, like they don’t want to stare in a mirror, or they might like the lights dimmed a little bit, but they don’t necessarily need extra time.

“We also have 1:1 appointments where someone might need the salon to themselves and a bit of extra time and privacy.”

She added: “We are going to offer familiarisation sessions for people too that really find it difficult to come into a salon setting at all. They might struggle with having a haircut, and this would mean that they could come in and get familiar with us as a staff and the surroundings.

“The expectation of a haircut in the beginning, and the hope would be that after a few of these sessions, that when they would get to know us and build a bit of trust with myself or Brenda, that they can come in and complete a haircut.

“The reason these are being set up is because we have found that after maybe one or two times coming in, people relax and their shoulders drop a bit. So, we’re thinking if they were able to access something like that on a regular basis, the haircut would come a bit quicker and they’d get over that anxiety.

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“At Silent Cuts, we ensure that when anxiety gets in the way, the door just doesn’t close behind you; we keep it open,” Olywn added.

What began as a response to barriers faced by people with learning disabilities and autistic adults has now developed into a growing social enterprise model, combining inclusive hairdressing with a structured training and employability programme.

Participants gain real work experience in a live salon setting, supported by trained staff, helping them to build confidence, practical skills, and independence at their own pace.

The project is supported by National Lottery funding and is part of Mainstay DRP’s wider commitment to inclusion and community-based enterprise.

The official opening of Silent Cuts took place last month. The Chair of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council formally opened the salon during a small community event attended by Mainstay DRP staff, salon clients, supporters, and local community leaders.

Sarah-Jane Mowbray, Chief Executive Officer of Mainstay DRP, added: “Silent Cuts is about much more than haircuts. It’s about dignity, inclusion, and tailoring everyday services to the person in the chair. We’re proud to see this vision become a reality in the heart of Downpatrick.”

Video: Justin Kernoghan

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