Sri Lanka unveils world's largest purple star sapphire at 3,563 carats
Sri Lanka has revealed a stunning purple star sapphire weighing 3,563 carats, named the Star of Pure Land, which experts hail as the largest natural purple star sapphire of its kind ever documented. Unveiled during a ceremony in Colombo, the round, polished gem boasts a striking six-rayed star effect, or asterism, caused by needle-like inclusions......
Italy uncovers only building designed by architecture's father
Italian authorities announced on Monday the unearthing of a public edifice over 2,000 years old, attributed to the ancient Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius, widely regarded as the father of architecture. This revelation concludes a centuries-long quest to locate the sole structure the legendary figure claimed to have personally designed......
Trump and NATO chief agree to Greenland meeting at Davos
President Donald Trump revealed a productive phone call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday, focusing on Greenland and setting the stage for talks involving key stakeholders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This development intensifies a brewing transatlantic rift, as Trump underscored the territory's vital......
Silver surges to record high amid Trump's Greenland tariff threats
Silver prices soared to a fresh all-time peak of $94.73 per ounce on Monday, fueled by surging safe-haven demand as investors grappled with escalating trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland. The metal has rocketed more than 32% in January alone and around 143% over the past year, outpacing even......
Trump's Greenland tariff threats trigger sharp US futures drop
US stock futures plunged sharply on Tuesday as President Donald Trump escalated trade tensions with European NATO allies by threatening new tariffs linked to his push to acquire Greenland. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures tumbled 600 to 750 points, reflecting a drop of 1.3% to 1.5%, while S&P 500 futures fell 1.4% to 1.6% and Nasdaq......
Israel demolishes UNRWA headquarters in east Jerusalem
Israeli forces razed buildings at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency headquarters in occupied east Jerusalem early Tuesday, prompting sharp condemnation from the UN agency as an unprecedented assault and a flagrant breach of international law. Around 7 a.m. local time, troops entered the Sheikh Jarrah compound, removed security staff,......
Rural Moroccan women face enduring inequality and daily struggles
In rural Morocco, women stand as the underpinnings of the agricultural economy while enduring amplified gender inequalities rooted in economic precarity and social invisibility. Far removed from romanticized or victimized portrayals, they shoulder the burden of entire communities, often performing unpaid labor that accounts for 68% of their......
Scientists uncover hidden magnetic order in pseudogap phase
Physicists have identified a hidden magnetic order within the enigmatic pseudogap phase a peculiar state emerging in quantum materials just above superconducting temperatures unveiling insights that could advance the pursuit of room-temperature superconductivity. An international collaboration between experimentalists at Germany's Max......
China confirms US invitation to Trump's peace council
China confirmed Tuesday it received a U.S. invitation to join President Donald Trump's Peace Council, an international body initially designed to oversee Gaza reconstruction but now poised for a broader mandate in resolving global conflicts. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun acknowledged the invitation during a regular briefing......
Trump heads to Davos amid EU tariff tensions over Greenland
President Donald Trump is set to take center stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where escalating trade frictions with European allies over his renewed push to acquire Greenland threaten to overshadow the annual gathering of global leaders. The 56th forum, running from January 19 to 23, has been thrust into the spotlight......
Trump calls UK Chagos deal great stupidity
President Donald Trump sharply criticized the United Kingdom on Tuesday, labeling its agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius an act of total weakness and great stupidity, linking the rebuke to his push for U.S. acquisition of Greenland. The attack on a key NATO ally came one day after British Prime Minister Keir......
Natural gas prices surge on polar vortex forecasts in US and Asia
Natural gas prices climbed sharply on global markets January 19, 2026, driven by shifting weather forecasts predicting a severe polar vortex sweeping the United States, China, and Europe by late January, sparking a rush of demand-fueled trades. U.S. Henry Hub futures surged up to 18% intraday, rising from a 13-week low near $3.10 per million......
Zelensky warns Russia prepares massive strike on Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an urgent warning on January 19, 2026, stating that Russia has readied a large-scale attack and awaits the right moment to launch it. In his evening address, he urged Ukrainians to remain vigilant and heed all air raid alerts as the country braces for what could be another devastating assault on......
Ukraine appoints drone warfare pioneer to overhaul air defense
President Volodymyr Zelensky named Pavlo Yelizarov as deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force on January 19, tasking him with reshaping the country's air defense strategy amid preparations for intensified Russian aerial assaults. This appointment positions a battle-tested drone expert at the forefront of efforts to erect what Defense......
1,500 ISIS prisoners escape Syrian facility as ceasefire collapses
Around 1,500 Islamic State fighters broke out of the Shaddadi prison in northeastern Syria on Monday, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, just as a fragile ceasefire between Kurdish fighters and the Damascus government crumbled a day after its announcement. FDS spokesperson Farhad Shami told the Kurdish outlet Rudaw that......