Gold crosses $4,000 for first time, building on historic rally
Gold pushed through $4,000 an ounce to hit a record on Wednesday, driven by investors seeking safety from mounting economic and geopolitical uncertainty, alongside expectations of further interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve, Reuters reported.
Spot gold was up 0.9% at $4,017.16 per ounce by 0442 GMT. U.S. gold futures for December delivery gained 0.9% to $4,040 per ounce.
Traditionally, gold is seen as a store of value during times of instability. As one of the best-performing assets of 2025, spot gold is up 53% year-to-date after rising 27% in 2024, according to Reuters.
At least 24 killed as paraglider drops bombs at Myanmar Buddhist festival
A paramotor attack on a festival and protest in central Myanmar has killed at least 24 people and wounded 47 others, a spokesperson from the exiled National Unity Government told BBC Burmese.
Around 100 people had gathered at Chaung U township on Monday evening for the Thadingyut festival - a national holiday with Buddhist roots - when a motor-powered paraglider dropped two bombs over the crowd, a local official under the anti-junta People's Defence Force said, BBC reported.
The event was also a candlelight vigil protesting junta policies.
Myanmar has been at civil war since its military seized power in a 2021 coup. The UN estimates that the conflict has killed more than 5,000 civilians, according to BBC.
US special envoy and Trump's son-in-law to join Gaza peace talks in Egypt
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner will join Gaza peace plan talks between Israeli and Hamas negotiators in Egypt on Wednesday, BBC reported.
Their arrival comes as a second day of indirect talks on Tuesday ended without tangible results, a senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC.
Trump struck a positive tone as Israelis marked the second anniversary of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on their country, saying "there's a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not comment on the status of the talks, but told Israelis they were in "fateful days of decision," according to BBC.
Physics Nobel awarded to three scientists for work on quantum computing
The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis for their work on quantum mechanics that is paving the way for a new generation of very powerful computers, BBC reported.
"There is no advanced technology used today that does not rely on quantum mechanics, including mobile phones, cameras... and fibre optic cables," said the Nobel committee.
The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences at a news conference in Stockholm, Sweden.
"To put it mildly, it was a surprise of my life," said Professor John Clarke, who was born in Cambridge, UK and now works at the University of California in Berkeley, according to BBC.
