Thieves rob Arsenal striker

Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu has been left distraught after a gang broke into his Hertfordshire home and stole his Mercedes sports car.

Burglars entered the footballer's home in Beech Hill, Hadley Wood, between 1730 BST on Monday and 1200 BST on Wednesday and stole the keys to his car, which was parked outside.

Police say the car was of "substantial value" and the Arsenal player reportedly also lost trophies and medals in the raid.

Officers want to trace a blue or grey BMW, which was seen parked in the area where the player lives.

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Intruders terrorise elderly couple

Police are hunting three balaclava-clad burglars who threatened an elderly couple with iron bars or sticks and left them tied up at their home.

Officers say the masked gang escaped with jewellery and Rolex watches worth "many thousands of pounds" in the raid on the house in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, at around 0045 BST on Friday.

The victims, who were in their sixties, but have not been named, said the gang were carrying iron bars or sticks and bound them by their hands while they searched the building. The husband later managed to struggle free and raise the alarm.

A police spokesman said: "This was obviously a terrifying experience for the couple and has left them extremely shaken, although they were not physically injured by the intruders."

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Man injured in paramilitary-style shooting

A man is being treated in hospital in Northern Ireland after being shot in a paramilitary-style attack.

The 29-year-old victim was shot in both ankles in the shooting in the Catholic Short Strand in east Belfast at 1830 BST on Friday, according to a RUC spokesman.

His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

Meanwhile, a coffee jar containing 1kg of suspected explosives has been recovered in north Belfast after it was found hidden on waste ground near playing fields during a planned search.

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Firefighters tackle bullet lorry blaze

Firefighters sealed off an area of countryside in Cheshire on Friday after fire broke out in a lorry carrying ammunition.

Bullets inside the articulated lorry exploded as fire crews fought to control 15-foot flames in the blaze on the A535 near Holmes Chapel.

Police threw a cordon several hundred yards around the scene, warning local residents to stay indoors. Firefighters brought the fire under control after a two-hour operation.

Cheshire police said the ammunition was a legitimate cargo - thought to be mainly .22 calibre bullets - and said there would be an investigation into the cause of the blaze. The driver escaped unhurt.

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Secret royal graves found

Archaeologists have discovered the hidden graves of George III's secret granddaughter and her niece, under the floor of a west Wales parish church.

The tombstones of Charlotte Dalton - whose grandmother's marriage to George III was concealed to allow him to remarry - and her niece were found under the historic floor at St Peter's parish church in Camarthen, which was being re-tiled.

The gravestone of Charlotte Dalton - whose mother married a Camarthen man and is thought to have been buried in the town - was marked with her name and the date 1832, the year the king's granddaughter died aged 27. Another crypt found under the floor could reveal further secrets.

The find also seems to solve a 160-year-old mystery about the whereabouts of the descendants of the king and explains why the monarch once donated a pipe organ to the church.