Gold and silver prices recorded a further decline in international and domestic markets on Saturday, reflecting a sharp downturn in bullion rates.
In the international bullion market, gold prices fell by $255 per ounce to $4,895.
The decline was mirrored in the local market, where the price of gold per tola dropped by Rs25,500 to Rs511,862. The price of gold per 10 grams also fell by Rs21,862 to settle at Rs438,839.
Silver prices also moved lower, with the per tola rate declining by Rs2,063 to Rs9,006, while the price of 10 grams of silver fell by Rs1,768 to Rs7,721.
On Friday, Pakistan suffered a bloodbath as gold prices dropped over Rs35,000, mirroring a steep correction in international markets where gold, silver and copper tumbled after touching record highs earlier in the week.
The downturn was driven by panic profit-taking as investors rushed to lock in gains amid fading expectations of aggressive US interest rate cuts and a strengthening US dollar.
In the local market, the price of gold per tola plunged by Rs35,500 to settle at Rs537,362, while 10-grams of gold dropped by Rs30,435 to Rs460,701, according to rates released by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association(APGJSA).
The sharp fall marked a dramatic reversal from Thursday, when gold surged to Rs572,862 per tola after a massive single-day gain of Rs21,200.
Silver also came under heavy pressure, with prices declining by Rs1,106 to Rs11,069 per tola, reflecting the broader sell-off across precious metals.
The U.S. Coast Guard is frantically searching Massachusetts waters for survivors after a commercial fishing boat with seven people on board, including a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) observer, sank Friday 25 miles off the coast of Cape Ann.
Coast Guard watchstanders received an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) alert at about 6:50 a.m. local time, registered to the 72-foot commercial fishing vessel Lily Jean.
USCG crews attempted to contact the boat, and with no response, issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB), according to officials.
USCG Northeast District launched a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod and a small boat crew from Station Gloucester to search the area.
A USCG MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod is searching for survivors after a commercial fishing boat sank off Cape Ann, Mass.(Getty Images)
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said the state has offered its full support.
“I’m heartbroken over the devastating news out of Gloucester about the sinking of the Lily Jean and have offered our full support to Mayor Lundberg, Harbormaster Lucido and the Coast Guard,” Healey wrote in a statement. “I am praying for the crew, and my heart goes out to their loved ones and all Gloucester fishing families during this awful time.
“Fishermen and fishing vessels are core to the history, economy and culture of Gloucester and Cape Ann, and this tragedy is felt all across the state,” she added.
Commercial fishing boats docked in Gloucester Harbor, Mass. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
The boat’s captain, Gus Sanfilippo, and his crew were featured in a 2012 episode of the History Channel show “Nor’Easter Men,” highlighting a fishing expedition in dangerous weather conditions, according to a report from The Associated Press.
Sanfilippo, a fifth-generation commercial fisherman, angled for haddock, lobster and flounder, according to the report.
“He’s a person that has a big smile, and he gives you a warm embrace when he sees you,” Tarr told the AP. “He is very, very skilled at what he does. … I’m going to make a prediction. Tonight, tomorrow and the days that follow, you’re going to see strength. The strength that has made this the most historic fishing port in the United States of America.”
Gloucester, Massachusetts, is a coastal city about 30 miles north of Boston, on Cape Ann.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.
All known American citizens being held in Venezuela have been released, the U.S. Embassy said Friday evening.
“We are pleased to confirm the release by the interim authorities of all known U.S. citizens held in Venezuela,” the embassy wrote on X. “Should you have information regarding any other U.S. citizens still detained, please contact American Citizen Services.”
No other details about the detainees were disclosed. Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department.
An opposition protester waves a Venezuelan flag at a protest in support of a group of students who have been on hunger strike in Caracas, Venezuela. On Friday, the U.S. Embassy said all known Americans detained in the South American nation had been released. (Reuters)
Interim authorities have slowly released American detainees in the weeks following the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Both are being held in New York City on federal narco-terrorism charges.
Earlier this month, Venezuela’s interim government reported that 116 prisoners have been released, although only about 70 have been verified by the non-governmental organization Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón, according to Bloomberg.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during celebrations for the Independence Day, in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
On Jan. the U.S. government announced a travel alert advising against travel to the country. Americans in the country were advised to depart immediately.
“The security situation in Venezuela remains fluid. The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, warns U.S. citizens not to travel to Venezuela, reiterating warnings against travel to Venezuela dating to 2019. As international flights have resumed, U.S. citizens in Venezuela should leave the country immediately.”
The country is being run by Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former number two.
This week, Rodriguez signed a law overhauling the nation’s oil sector, opening it to privatization, reversing a core policy of the socialist government that has ruled Venezuela for more than two decades.
The State Department told Fox News that a “limited number” of people are working on the ground in Venezuela.(Jessica Koscielniak/Reuters; Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
On Jan. 10, President Donald Trump said American energy companies will invest $100 billion to rebuild Venezuela’s “rotting” oil infrastructure and push production to record levels.
Sydney Sweeney is reportedly convinced that her bold confidence and success can be “intimidating to a lot of guys” which makes it complicated to find a partner.
The Euphoria star recently said in an interview with Cosmopolitan that she doesn’t “actually need a man” as she has “got myself” and an “incredible group of girlfriends.”
According to a report by Radaronline.com, her pal revealed that Sweeney remarks reflect a pattern in her love life.
“Sydney’s independence is a huge part of who she is. Some men love that. Others find it confronting, especially when they realize she doesn’t need saving or managing,” a friend claimed.
Another source claimed that the way Sweeney manages her busy life as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand actresses after her breakout role in Euphoria, it can be a surprising thing for a potential partner who is seeking a “traditional relationship.”
The insider noted, “She’s not just showing up to set. She’s running meetings, making decisions, and building something long-term. That can be a shock for someone expecting a more traditional relationship.”
In the interview, the 28-year-old actress insisted, “Look, I am a boss in my life. I take control. I go after what I want. I am confident, and I am successful, and I don’t actually need a man.
“I’ve got myself. I’ve got an incredible group of girlfriends. I’ve got a team of badass women. That is very intimidating to a lot of guys, so a guy needs to be able to stand in that with me.
“It takes a very specific person who can handle the world that comes with me. There was a guy who I really, really liked, but he told me he can’t handle my world. It’s a hard thing.”
The Centre is set to present the Union Budget for financial year 2026-27 on Sunday, Feb. 1, around three months after the formal constitution of 8th Pay Commission. The panel has been given an 18-month deadline to submit its report, which makes it unlikely that the salary and pension hike would be rolled out in FY27.
Central government employees and pensioners, whose cumulative count crosses 1.1 crore, may be keenly observing Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s speech for cues related to the 8th Pay Commission‘s rollout.
If the Centre decides to earmark an amount to absorb the fiscal impact of revised salaries and pensions, then speculation would rise of an accelerated rollout of the pay commission’s recommendations. In such a scenario, the panel may expedite its consultation with key stakeholders, and present its report way before the deadline that lapses in May 2027.
Impact On Exchequer
Notably, the rollout of 7th Pay Commission had an estimated impact of Rs 1.02 lakh crore on the exchequer in 2017. At the time, the basic salaries and pensions were revised using a fitment factor of 2.57 (157%). However, the effective hike was much lower, at only 14.3%, as the dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR), which then stood at 125% was reset to zero.
The DA and DR, which are paid as a percentage of the basic pay or pension, are reset to zero whenever a new pay commission is rolled out. They are subsequently raised every six months to offset the impact of inflation.
In case of the 8th Pay Commission, even a relatively lower fitment factor may lead to sharper effective hikes, as the DA and DR are less than half of what they stood during the end of 7th Pay Commission. Following the last revision in October, the two key allowances presently stand at 58%.
Even if the fitment factor is lower, the impact on exchequer under the 8th Pay Commission would be higher, on account of a larger workforce and retired staff. Kotak Institutional Equities, which projected a likely fitment factor of 1.8, said the fiscal impact of the entire exercise could be in the range of Rs 2.4-3.2 lakh crore.
When the 7th Pay Commission was rolled out, the estimated fiscal impact was of Rs 1.02 lakh crore in FY17, as per official data. In the case of 8th Pay Commission, this could be in the range of Rs 2.4-3.2 lakh crore, Kotak Institutional Equities said in a report released in July 2025.
A Panamanian court has voided a port contract held by a Hong Kong subsidiary, prompting assurances from President José Raúl Mulino that canal traffic will not be disrupted.
The court ruled Thursday that the port concession granted to Panama Ports Company — a subsidiary of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings — was unconstitutional. The decision was welcomed by the U.S. and criticized by Beijing, according to The Associated Press.
“Beijing plays rough. Trump plays rougher,” China expert Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital in an email. “The American president just showed the Chinese who’s boss in the Western Hemisphere.”
Aerial view of the port of Rodman in Panama City taken on January 30, 2026. (MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP via Getty Images)
“President Trump, by extracting Nicolas Maduro and his wife from Caracas, ended Chinese influence in Venezuela,” Chang added. “With the termination of the Hutchison port concessions in Panama, countries are getting the message that Trump is determined to drive China out of the region and that they should get on board with the American president.”
Mulino said Friday that port operations at both ends of the canal will continue as the ruling is carried out, adding that Panama’s Maritime Authority will work with Panama Ports Company to keep the ports running, AP reported.
Once the concession is formally terminated, Mulino said a local subsidiary of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk will temporarily operate the ports while the government opens a new bidding process for a long-term concession.
Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino waves before giving a speech at his swearing-in ceremony at the Atlapa Convention Centre in Panama City, on July 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
The court decision followed an audit by Panama’s comptroller that identified irregularities in a 25-year extension of the concession granted in 2021, according to AP.
The ruling aligns with long-standing U.S. concerns over China’s presence near the Panama Canal.
Limiting Beijing’s influence in the region has been a priority of the Trump administration, and Panama was the first overseas stop this year for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, AP reported.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 28, 2026.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
“The United States is encouraged by the recent Panamanian Supreme Court’s decision to rule port concessions to China unconstitutional,” Rubio posted to X on Friday.
Panama Ports Company said it has not been formally notified of the ruling and argued it lacks legal basis, warning it could harm thousands of Panamanian families and undermine legal certainty. The Hong Kong government also rejected the ruling, according to AP.
Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Ariana Grande makes cheeky joke after ‘six-finger’ editing fail
Ariana Grande’s wish for “extra appendages” came true in a hilarious way.
In a recent Vogue Japan cover, published on Monday, the Wicked star’s fans noticed a bizarre mistake that one of Grande’s photos has six fingers on her left hand instead of five.
A fanpage shared the photo and captioned the post on Instagram, “who’s responsible for giving Ariana 6 fingers….” with a crying emoji.
Gande herself took the comment section of the post and reacted, “Holy s***.”
She joked in another reply, “Oh my goodness how exciting! I’ve been saying I need some extra appendages so that I can start an album! Thankful for this.”
However, the magazine was quick to correct the mistake on its website.
In the cover story, Grande opened up about her fear that her work might get overshadowedby her stardom persona.
“I feel like there have been a lot of times when I’ve been doing my best work creatively, and yet my celebrity has been louder than the work. And my mom has always been here to set the record straight in my head and remind me of my worth as an artist and as a human being every time that noise has almost derailed me,” the singer and actress said.
The fast food chain, known for its roast beef sandwiches and curly fries, closed its location near the Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia for good.
Arby’s broke this devastating news for meat lovers the old-fashioned way — with a sign on the door of the restaurant.
“This Arbys Location is Permanently Closed,” was written with a red marker on a piece of white paper taped to the glass door as pictured in an article published earlier this month by The Burn, a news site covering Ashburn, Virginia. The location was also listed as “permanently closed” on Google Maps.
The Burn reported, citing Loudoun County property records, that the Arby’s location was built in 2008. The fast food chain was founded in 1964.
Arby’s has closed down yet another restaurant after shuttering dozens of locations (Rich Fury/Getty Images)
It’s unclear why the location closed. The Independent has reached out to Arby’s for comment.
“Happy Meals at McDonald’s are prohibitively expensive for some people, because there’s been so much inflation,” one analyst, Adam Josephson, told the Los Angeles Times at the time.
The popular fast food chain closed its location near the Washington Dulles International Airport (Google Earth)
Despite the restaurant closures the company has faced in recent years, Arby’s is the third-largest sandwich chain in the United States in terms of sales, according to QSR Magazine, which covers restaurant news.
The magazine reported last month that Arby’s had 3,365 restaurants in the country at the end of 2024, which was a net decrease of 48 locations from the year before. Money site The Street reported last November that Arby’s had closed at least 14 locations across eight states in 2025.
According to the Arby’s website, there are currently 3,272 locations in the U.S. The Dulles location was not on the list of restaurants in Virginia.
On a wintery day in Fresno, California, a group of friends are playing soccer at a local park. In what has become an annual tradition for a collective of 10 to 12 players predominantly from the United Soccer League (USL), the group trains together in the offseason as a way to stay fit for the new year. With an energy of amicable competition, these sessions are an invaluable boost for those who are setting goals for 2026.
Kicking and chasing the ball across the modest public greenery, many are looking for new contracts in the lower leagues, others are seeking to simply stay fit, but as for one prominent player in attendance?
“Everyone’s basically grinding for something,” said the U.S. men’s national team‘s Max Arfsten to ESPN. “For me, it’s trying to make the World Cup.”
Just months out from this year’s momentous tournament, Arfsten’s 2026 preparations began here with his close circle in his hometown, where the Columbus Crew fullback was stopped a couple of times by kids to take photos after his practices. With his MLS season ending in early November and not beginning again until Feb. 21, the 24-year-old drew upon a potent source of motivation for an athlete at any level: not wanting to lose to your friends.
“Every time you play against the guys from your hometown … you kind of innately want to prove your worth,” Arfsten said. “You want to be the top dog in the city that you’re from.”
Doing so helped fuel Arfsten’s rhythm during a slow period before a pivotal 2026. In fact, for those who didn’t qualify for the playoffs last year, they’ll go through a four-month stretch between official MLS matches, with preseason camps now back in full swing. Although the league will switch to a more globally aligned summer-to-spring calendar in 2027, which will push the offseason to the summer and shorten the winter break, at the moment there’s an obvious gap in competitive games.
Of course, that break is needed in order to fully recover and regroup, but its timing complicates matters when you consider that weeks after MLS’ 2026 season begins, the USMNT will have one last international window before head coach Mauricio Pochettino makes his final World Cup roster decisions. Conversely, the United States’ high-profile stars in European leagues will be in the middle of their campaigns, boasting match fitness their domestic-based compatriots are unlikely to equal.
With the World Cup around the corner, Arfsten isn’t alone when it comes to extra offseason work. Across the country in St. Louis, Missouri, Columbus teammate Patrick Schulte has his own group that has helped him stay sharp.
“There’s four or five of my buddies that I grew up playing with or went to college with that all live here or base here in the offseason, we get a good group together,” said the goalkeeper who, like Arfsten, feeds off a cordial sense of rivalry.
“I don’t want to get scored on by my friends because I won’t hear the end of it,” joked Schulte about his lively sessions back home. “As a goalkeeper, some of my buddies are forwards. I just want them to know, ‘Hey, if we ever play, you got no chance.'”
Schulte and his crew regularly trained this offseason at St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC, where the national team goalkeeper developed his talents at a younger age, but similar to Arfsten’s group, they also roamed around local parks. These sessions across St. Louis sometimes ballooned up to 30 players, which can include non-professional academy prospects testing the 24-year-old, who is in the running to head to the World Cup.
“We have MLS guys, we have guys in the USL, guys in [reserve] MLS Next Pro,” said Schulte.
Over in Florida, fellow national team member Alex Freeman spent part of his MLS offseason at Fort Lauderdale’s SAT Soccer, a program that specializes in customized training regimens for some of the world’s top players. According to the company, other names with MLS experience such as Josef Martínez, Telasco Segovia, Juanjo Purata and Tadeo Allende also traveled there ahead of 2026.
“A lot of people in offseason come to that spot,” Freeman said to ESPN about Fort Lauderdale. “A lot of guys who come in and text me about trainings, and we’re able to get a little group and be able to just catch up and be able to also train together, and just be able to improve on whatever we need to do.”
Individual work is also key. While Freeman — who will leave Orlando City SC and join Villarreal in LaLiga this winter, a source told ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle — discussed fitness, Arfsten noted improvements on specific aspects of his wingback position: “defending, working on crossing, deep crossing.” Schulte highlighted more sessions than usual in the offseason with a goalie coach that he grew up with.
Houston Dynamo and USMNT midfielder Jack McGlynn, who underwent foot surgery in October, centered on a more introspective style of individual improvement.
“A lot of mental work. I think when you’re injured, you have a lot of time on your own to think and kind of reflect on your season, where you could do better,” McGlynn told ESPN in late 2025. “A lot of watching film back of all of our games and seeing where I can improve, and I know where I can, and I can’t wait to get back on the field, because I know how much better I’m going to be.”
McGlynn is now back to full fitness. Just a few days ago, and with plenty still to prove to Pochettino before getting a call-up, he found the back of the net during a preseason game.
Considering that March’s international window will likely be the final audition for the USMNT before World Cup roster selection, the harsh reality for these MLS-based national team hopefuls is that they’ll have to hit the ground running once the league starts in mid-February.
In the short term, this could be a disadvantage. For those MLS players who make that World Cup roster, though, could being in midseason form — rather than coming into the tournament off the back of a grueling European club campaign — then become an advantage that helps the USMNT?
“I think you can take it in both kinds of ways,” Freeman said. “Obviously, you would kind of want to be maybe playing a little more going into January, February … but also it just gives you time to perfect what you need to do.”
“I don’t know. It’s a World Cup, everyone’s going to be the cream of the crop,” added Schulte about the possibility of a midseason gain. “We might be a little more fresh and not have as many games on our legs, but I think at that point in life, with the adrenaline and everything, it’s not going to matter too much.”
For Seattle Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan, a 30-year-old veteran who has been one of the latest surprising X factors for the national team, there’s no denying the impact that MLS players could have.
“European players will be pretty much done with all their games … so that is a very difficult place [for them] to be in,” he told media over the winter. “You’re going to have to rely on your entire squad, and there is an advantage for us [in MLS] to be able to come in fresh leading into the World Cup, taking full advantage of the offseason now and then ramping up slowly … right when summer hits, you’re halfway through the season and you’re in a good spot.”
If you ask Arfsten, it’s a case-by-case basis, but it probably wouldn’t shock him if someone from MLS garnered an extra edge — however slight — at the World Cup.
“It’s specific to the player. I mean, it just depends on what kind of form you’re in,” said the Columbus player. “But I think in terms of mental freshness, yeah, there’s going to be more freshness from us guys.”
Perhaps the guy who pushes the USMNT forward on the global stage this summer is someone who was playing at your local park last month.
Two hikers rescued after becoming lost while attempting to climb England’s highest mountain during “treacherous winter conditions” allegedly stiffed a hotel they were put up in for the night after the seven-hour operation, according to the nonprofit responsible for saving them.
“We avoid judging those we rescue but struggle to understand when the rescued take advantage of hospitality provided by our supporters in the valley,” the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team wrote in a Facebook post last week.
It explained that after the two men were safely rescued from Scafell Pike in an “avoidable” situation Dec. 29, the manager of the Wasdale Head Inn “kindly agreed to stay up, give them snacks and a room.”
Although the men were given a discounted room rate of 35%, which they agreed to pay at the time but said their money wasn’t on them, they left without settling their bill, the rescue nonprofit claimed, adding that the organization felt compelled to pay it for them.
Rescuers with the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team hike Scafell Pike Dec. 29.(Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team)
“Disappointingly, in the morning, they offered no thanks for the efforts of the hotel, asked for further reductions to the cost, pushed hard for a breakfast and asked if they could arrange transport to get them out of the valley,” the nonprofit alleged. “The answer was, sorry no extras and please transfer money when you can.”
The nonprofit also said the men haven’t returned two flashlights missing from the team after the rescue.
In addition, they said the phone number given to the hotel manager to contact the men didn’t work.
The nonprofit said the men still haven’t paid back the $178 bill, although the post generated so much goodwill that good Samaritans have given more money than owed to the inn, which the group said, “will go directly towards the team’s operational costs which are in excess of £100,000 annually.”
Scafell Pike in 2024. (Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images)
The team said they tried contacting the men about the money and the flashlights and to return a crutch that one of the men left in one of the team’s vehicles but hadn’t heard back.
“This post will hopefully prompt the two young males to settle their debt,” the team wrote, adding that they left a QR on the post for ease of payment. “They might also reflect on the kindness they were offered that night by the staff at the Wasdale Head Inn and our own volunteer team following their eventful visit to Cumbria.”
The team concluded the post by explaining that their volunteers are unpaid, and “we never charge but equally donations are always appreciated. Especially to help contribute to our significant capital and operational costs, and even some of our more unusual but rare £130 losses.”
The manager of the Wasdale Head Inn agreed to put the men up for the night at a discounted rate but was never paid. (Google Maps)
In a comment below the post, the hotel thanked the team for “dealing with this incident in their usual professional manner, and to our staff who stayed up to look after the starving and frozen walkers when they were brought in around 2am.
“Luckily this is the first time in living memory (45 years or more) that those rescued have behaved like this, however the messages of support and donations for the team from so many people more than make up for this one selfish episode.”
