Entertainment
Tajikistan says four terrorists neutralised in latest incident on Afghan border
- Incidents rising along 1,350-kilometre Tajik-Afghan border.
- Attacks have killed guards, Chinese workers.
- Tajikistan urges Taliban curb cross-border militancy.
Tajikistan officials on Sunday said they “neutralised” four “terrorists” who crossed over from neighbouring Afghanistan in an area where deadly incidents have been on the rise in recent weeks, state media reported.
Tajikistan, in Central Asia, shares a mountainous border with Afghanistan and has had tense relations with the Afghan Taliban regime.
According to Tajik security services cited by the state-owned Khovar news agency, “four terrorists were neutralised” after they refused to put down arms in the southern Khatlon region.
Tajik authorities have reported at least five deadly incidents on the mountainous border, which is some 1,350 kilometres (840 miles) long, since November.
An AFP count using official data found that 16 people have been killed in total.
These include Tajik border guards, Chinese workers and what Dushanbe calls “smugglers” and “terrorists”.
After attacks on Chinese nationals in November, Tajik authorities urged the Afghan Taliban regime to take measures to prevent destabilisation of the volatile border region, where drug traffickers and militant groups are active.
Unlike other Central Asian leaders who are strengthening ties with the Taliban, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon — in power since 1992 — openly criticises Afghanistan’s authorities.
He has urged the Taliban to respect the rights of ethnic Tajiks, estimated to represent around a quarter of Afghanistan´s population.
But Tajikistan is also taking steps towards cooperation with Kabul, through electricity supplies, the opening of border markets and meetings between Taliban and local Tajik officials.
Relations between the two nations took a hit after five Chinese nationals were killed, and several were wounded in two separate attacks along Tajikistan’s border with Afghanistan in late November and early December.
According to a UN report in December, a militant group, Jamaat Ansarullah, “has fighters spread across different regions of Afghanistan” with a primary goal “to destabilise the situation in Tajikistan.”
Dushanbe has previously voiced concerns about the presence in Afghanistan of members of Daesh in Khorasan.
Entertainment
Britney Spears contacted by people close to her after DUI arrest
Britney Spears has spoken to both her mother and her two sons following her DUI arrest earlier this week, with those closest to her now rallying around the singer in the aftermath of what sources describe as an deeply emotional night.
According to TMZ, Lynne Spears called her daughter as soon as she heard about the arrest, with the conversation between the two described as “positive” and “hopeful.”
Britney also spoke to her sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, after being released from jail on Thursday morning, though she has not yet seen any family members in person.
The outreach comes at a particularly raw moment.
Spears was pulled over near the Borchard Road off-ramp in Newbury Park, Ventura County, at around 9:28 p.m. on Wednesday after officers reportedly observed her driving her black BMW “erratically at a high rate of speed.”
She was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol, and an insider told Page Six that officers also found an unknown substance inside her car at the time.
Her chemical test results remain pending and the investigation is ongoing. She was released at 6:07 a.m. Thursday.
Sources paint a picture of a woman who was visibly distressed throughout the process.
Spears was “crying and very tearful” while being booked, according to Page Six.
“She was incredibly emotional,” a source told the outlet. “It’s been a very hard couple of months.” The same insider said Spears “felt ashamed and embarrassed” and is “very sorry” for what happened.
“She doesn’t want to let anyone down, including her fans. The last thing she wants is to be judged publicly all over again.”
Her manager, Cade Hudson, was blunt in his public statement, calling the incident “completely inexcusable” while expressing hope that it might mark a turning point.
Entertainment
Maisie Peters surprises fans in Australia with Ed Sheeran
Maisie Peters gave her Melbourne audience an unexpected treat on Wednesday night when Ed Sheeran walked out on stage to join her for a surprise duet, a moment that clearly meant a great deal to both of them.
Sheeran, 35, appeared at Peters’ show on 4th March during her Before the Bloom Tour in Australia, performing his 2017 hit Castle on the Hill alongside the 25-year-old singer.
Peters shared a clip of the performance on Instagram, captioning it with heartfelt warmth. “Thank you @teddysphotos for singing the best song ever with me at my show in melbourne tonight,” she wrote.
“Still remember watching you play this one all 60 something gigs we did together, and it was so magical getting to join you on it for one. The best to ever do it.”
Sheeran is currently in Australia as part of his own Loop Tour, which will next take him to the Dominican Republic on 9th May before wrapping up in November.
Peters, meanwhile, is gearing up for a busy year.
Her third studio album, Florescence, is due for release in May, following her 2023 sophomore record The Good Witch.
Entertainment
Savannah Guthrie visits “Today” studio, says she intends to return to show
Savannah Guthrie stopped by the “Today” show studio to see colleagues on Thursday, NBC News said in a statement shared with CBS News. It was the first time Guthrie had been in the studio since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared over a month ago.
NBC said that Guthrie plans to eventually return to “Today.” The network did not specify when that might happen.
“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her TODAY colleagues,” the company said. “While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”
During her visit to Studio 1A, Guthrie embraced staff and crew, according to “Today.” She reportedly thanked her colleagues for “caring about my mom as much as I do,” the show said.
“I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope, and I’m still me,” she said. “And I don’t know what version of me that will be, but it will be.”
Courtesy NBC/Today/Handout via Reuters
“I have every intention of coming back,” Guthrie also said, according to the show. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family. And I would like to try.”
Guthrie’s last appearance on “Today” was January 30, 2026, two days before Nancy was reported missing. Guthrie has spent most of the past month with her siblings and their families in Arizona, where her mother and sister live.
Law enforcement have said they believe the 84-year-old was taken from her Tucson home overnight in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. No suspects or motive have been publicly identified. Law enforcement is continuing to analyze forensic and digital evidence related to the case.
Guthrie has shared search updates on her social media and recently said that while the family understands they may not find Nancy alive, they “still believe in a miracle.” Guthrie has offered a $1 million reward for information about her mother’s disappearance.
Possession of Nancy Guthrie’s home was recently returned to her family, and the FBI moved its command post from Tucson to Phoenix. A law enforcement source told CBS News the investigation was still continuing at full speed and that the move would allow for law enforcement to operate more efficiently for the long-term.
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