Kidnapping of foreigners soars in Africa's lawless Sahel regionJacob BoswallBBC MonitoringChristoph GreztmacherIt is over a year since Eva Greztmacher, now 74, was kidnapped from her home in NigerWhen Marin Petrović arrived in Bamako in early September last year, he was elated. The Bosnian national had spent years applying for tourist visas to Mali, only to be repeatedly denied on security...

Asos co-founder dies after Thailand balcony fallAsos co-founder dies after Thailand apartment block fallBloomberg via Getty ImagesQuentin Griffiths died in the Thai city of PattayaA co-founder of online fashion giant Asos died after falling from a high-rise apartment block in Thailand, police have said.Quentin Griffiths has been named by Thai police as the man found dead on the ground in the...

Kerala: The Indian state trying to ensure no one grows old aloneIn India's southern state of Kerala, 70-year-old TO Dominic starts most of his days with a phone call to one of his sons.One of them lives in the neighbouring Karnataka, the other in the Middle East. Both left home some years ago in search of better employment opportunities, leaving him and his wife MJ Martha to manage on their...

Judge blocks US military from demoting Mark Kelly over 'illegal orders' videoCQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty ImagesA federal judge has blocked Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth from lowering Senator Mark Kelly's rank in the military over his urging service members to refuse illegal orders. US District Judge Richard Leon wrote in a scathing ruling that Hegseth had unconstitutionally retaliated...

Have you felt stuck in AION 2's stale old meta, limited by overpowered PVP builds and unrewarding PVE grinds? The brand-new game-changing patch has flipped every combat rule on its head, delivering sweeping PVE buffs and crucial PVP nerfs that reshape class viability, dungeon runs and faction battles entirely. Every player's build, strategy and progression path needs a full reset, and this...