LONDON -- Global gold demand soared to a record high of 5,002 tonnes in 2025 amid continued geopolitical and economic uncertainties, the World Gold Council said in a report on Thursday.
These uncertainties propelled hefty investment in gold, lifting the total value to an unprecedented 555 billion U.S. dollars, up 45 percent from a year earlier, according to the council's annual gold demand trends report. (Gold-Demand-World Gold Council)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) is scheduled to hold "live-fire" exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and Monday as tensions remain extremely high between Tehran and Washington, Iran's Press TV news network reported.
In a post on social media platform X on Thursday, Press TV said that the drills will be carried out by the IRGC's Navy, describing the strait as "a chokepoint for the flow of 20 percent of the world's oil and natural gas." (Iran-Drills)
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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senate Democrats have reached a deal with Republicans and the White House to advance five spending bills to fund parts of the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year, just one day before a partial shutdown is set to begin, The New York Times reported Thursday. (US-Shutdown-Funding)
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CARACAS -- Venezuela's presidential office confirmed on Thursday that the country will reopen its commercial airspace immediately.
According to the office, the South American country's commercial airspace will be reopened following a phone conversation between Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez and U.S. President Donald Trump. (Venezuela-Commercial Airspace) ■
