- Sweden says China blocked prosecutors' probe of ship linked to cut cables
- Acid complicates search after deadly Brazil bridge collapse
- Norwegian Haugan dazzles in men's World Cup slalom win
- Arsenal's Saka out for 'many weeks' with hamstring injury
- Mali singer Traore child custody case postponed
- France mourns Mayotte victims amid uncertainy over government
- UK economy stagnant in third quarter in fresh setback
- Sweden says China denied request for prosecutors to probe ship linked to cut undersea cables
- African players in Europe: Salah leads Golden Boot race after brace
- Global stock markets edge higher as US inflation eases rate fears
- German far-right AfD to march in city hit by Christmas market attack
- Ireland centre Henshaw signs IRFU contract extension
- Bangladesh launches $5bn graft probe into Hasina's family
- US probes China chip industry on 'anticompetitive' concerns
- Biden commutes sentences for 37 of 40 federal death row inmates
- Clock ticks down on France government nomination
- 'Devastated' Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Mozambique on edge as judges rule on disputed election
- Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience
- Philippines says to acquire US Typhon missile system
- Honda and Nissan to launch merger talks
- Police arrest suspect who set woman on fire in New York subway
- China vows 'cooperation' over ship linked to severed Baltic Sea cables
- Australian tennis star Purcell provisionally suspended for doping
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate fears
- Luxury Western goods line Russian stores, three years into sanctions
- Wallace and Gromit return with comic warning about AI dystopia
- Philippine military says will acquire US Typhon missile system
- Afghan bread, the humble centrepiece of every meal
- Honda and Nissan expected to begin merger talks
- 'Draconian' Vietnam internet law heightens free speech fears
- Israeli women mobilise against ultra-Orthodox military exemptions
- Asian markets track Wall St rally as US inflation eases rate worries
- Tens of thousands protest in Serbian capital over fatal train station accident
- Trump vows to 'stop transgender lunacy' as a top priority
- Daniels throws five TDs as Commanders down Eagles, Lions and Vikings win
- 'Who's next?': Misinformation and online threats after US CEO slaying
- Only 12 trucks delivered food, water in North Gaza Governorate since October: Oxfam
- Upexi Regains Compliance with NASDAQ
- Shore Fire Media Client Bonnie Raitt and 42West Client Francis Ford Coppola are Recognized at the Kennedy Center Honors
- BluSky Carbon Announces $1 Million Convertible Debenture Financing
- Abasca Resources Closes Non-Brokered Private Placement of $3.2 Million
- Greenlane Appoints Rob Shields as Chief Growth Officer
- American Resources Corporation's ReElement Technologies Produces Greater than 99.5% Pure Terbium For National Defense Supply Chain
- Beyond Work Unveils Next-Generation Memory-Augmented AI Agent (MATRIX) for Enterprise Document Intelligence
- Northern Superior Announces ONGold's Completion of Monument Bay and Domain Projects Acquisition in Manitoba
- ARIA Cybersecurity Solutions Partners with UFT to Protect Water Treatment Facilities from Dangerous Cyberattacks
- Clear Start Tax Named 2024 Orange County Register’s Top Workplaces for Exceptional Tax Resolution Service and Workplace Culture
- Ensysce Biosciences Regains Full Compliance with Nasdaq
- Tortoise Capital Completes Merger of Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE: TPZ), Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE: TTP), and Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. (NYSE: NDP) and Conversion to Actively Managed ETF
US woman held hostage saved after failing to share Wordle score
A woman in the US city of Chicago was rescued from being held hostage for hours, after her failure to share her daily Wordle score alerted her family something was wrong.
Denyse Holt, 80, was alone at home on the night of February 5 when a man broke into her house and pointed a pair of scissors at her.
The man -- identified as James H Davis III, aged 32 -- was naked and covered with cuts and blood after he broke a window to gain entrance.
Police suspect Davis suffers from a mental illness.
Holt said Davis assured her he wouldn't harm her, but he did force her, fully clothed, to take a bath with him before locking her in the basement.
"I didn't think I was going to live," she told the local CBS station.
Holt's eldest daughter Meredith Holt-Caldwell, who lives in Seattle, first twigged that something was amiss when her mother did not send her daily Wordle score.
The game consists of guessing one five-letter word per day in just six tries. Its popularity has skyrocketed since the start of the year, with millions of people playing it daily.
Holt said her missing score was "disconcerting" to Holt-Caldwell, who knew her mother never missed this part of their daily routine.
Holt-Caldwell called the Chicago police, who conducted a wellbeing check on her mother on February 6, only to discover she was being held hostage in her own home.
An hours long standoff between police and Davis ensued. SWAT officers eventually used a stun gun to incapacitate him and rescue Holt.
Police say Davis faces a range of charges including home invasion with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping.
Holt was in shock after her rescue but otherwise unharmed.
"I never thought in a million years this is what was happening, but it was," she told CBS. "I'm very lucky."
The New York Times announced at the end of January it had bought Wordle for an "undisclosed price in the low seven figures."
Other versions of the game have sprung up around the globe, in languages ranging from German to Urdu.
P.Martin--AMWN