Squire cites Lucy’s case, which he tackled early in his career, as the inspiration for his long-term dedication.

He found it especially disturbing that Lucy was about the same age as his own daughter, and new photos of her being assaulted, seemingly in her bedroom, were constantly appearing.

Squire and his team could see, from the type of light sockets and electrical outlets visible in the images, that Lucy was in North America. But that was about it.

They contacted Facebook, which at the time dominated the social media landscape, asking for help scouring uploaded family photos – to see if Lucy was in any of them. But Facebook, despite having facial recognition technology, said it “did not have the tools” to help.

So Squire and his colleagues analysed everything they could see in Lucy’s room: the bedspread, her outfits, her stuffed toys. Looking for any element which might help.

And then they had a minor breakthrough. The team discovered that a sofa seen in some of the images was only sold regionally, not nationally, and therefore had a more limited customer base.

But that still amounted to about 40,000 people.

“At that point in the investigation, we’re [still] looking at 29 states here in the US. I mean, you’re talking about tens of thousands of addresses, and that’s a very, very daunting task,” says Squire.

Bandits swooped on the village of Tunga-Makeri early in the morning, before striking the nearby villages of Konkoso and Pissa, local officials said.

Police said six people were killed in one incident, and 20 more in the attacks on Konkoso and Pisa.

Officials confirmed at least 29 people had been killed as of Saturday, but Saidu said that death toll could rise.

The number of people abducted is also unknown because many residents fled their homes and ran into the nearby bush or neighbouring communities, he said.

“People are afraid because you can’t tell which community is going to be next,” he added.

A security report cited by AFP news agency said bandits came on 41 motorcycles, each carrying two or three men.

Abdullahi Rofia, a resident of neighbouring Agwara, told the BBC that many displaced people have taken shelter in his community, which was itself attacked two weeks ago.

“People are so traumatised, they no longer go to farm nor do they go to market,” he said.

“The bandits are not interesting in stealing or looting – they are more interested in killing and terrorising locals.”

Authorities have introduced emergency measures, including a restriction on late-night gatherings and a “partial curfew” that bans motorcycle taxis from operating after 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

Police confirmed that security teams have been deployed and rescue efforts are ongoing.

Nigeria’s leaders are under pressure to curb violence, with jihadist groups active in the north-west and separatist insurgents based in the country’s south-east.

The US launched Christmas Day strikes targeting Islamist militants in Nigeria’s northern Sokoto state and President Donald Trump warned of further attacks “if they continue to kill Christians”.

Many of the victims of jihadist violence are Muslim, according to organisations monitoring political violence in Nigeria.

A Nigerian official told BBC last month that 200 suspected bandits had been killed in an operation in the central Kogi state.

It came after more than 250 children and staff were abducted from a Catholic school in Papiri, in one of the largest recent mass-kidnappings. Their release was later secured.

[BBC]

Rubio, the Trump administration’s most senior diplomat, said it was “neither our goal nor our wish” to end the transatlantic partnership, adding: “For us Americans, our home may be in the Western Hemisphere, but we will always be a child of Europe.

“And I am here today to leave it clear that America is charting the path for a new century of prosperity, and that once again we want to do it together with you, our cherished allies and our oldest friends.”

However, he repeated several criticisms repeatedly levelled at Europe by the Trump administration, including describing immigration policies as a threat to civilisation, and saying a “climate cult” had taken over economic policy.

On trade, he said Europe and the US had “made mistakes together” by adopting a “dogmatic vision of free and unfettered trade”.

He repeated familiar calls from the US for Europe to invest more in defence, saying: “We want allies who can defend themselves so that no adversary will ever be tempted to test our collective strength.”

In response, von der Leyen said: “Rubio is a good friend, a strong ally. And this was, for me, very reassuring to listen to him.”

She continued: “We want a strong Europe. And this is, I think, the message of today.”

Elsewhere in his half-hour address, Rubio said the system of international co-operation “must be rebuilt” and singled out the UN for particular criticism, saying it had “played virtually no role” in resolving the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts.

He also said the organisation was “powerless to constrain the nuclear programme” of Tehran.

In recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has threatened strikes on Iran if a deal to curb its nuclear programme can be reached, as negotiations between the two intensify.

A second round of talks will be hosted by Oman in Geneva next week, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Saturday.

Outside the conference, an estimated 200,000 protesters held a rally against the Iranian government, local police report.

The demonstrators denounced the country’s leadership, following the government crackdown on January’s protests in which thousands of people were killed.

[BBC]