Popular News in One Year

They say one person's trash is another's treasure, but a chunk of 'rock' used to keep a door open for decades is a treasure by pretty much anybody's standard.The 3.5-kilogram (7.7-pound) stone was found in a stream bed in southeast Romania by an elderly woman, who brought it home and put it to use.Her discovery turned out to be one of the biggest intact chunks of amber in the world, according to a report by El Pais. Its value? Somewhere in the region of €1 million – around $US1.1 million.   (Resin forming under the damaged branch of a tree. (KevinDyer/Canva)Amber is tree resin from millions of years in the past. Over time, the highly viscous substance fossilizes into a...

Thai authorities are being urged to take further action against the "reincarnated son of Buddha" cult led by nine-year-old boy, after a picture of its leader resurfaced online. Ordered by The Surat Thani Juvenile and Family Court in August 2024, a couple were directed to cease disseminating distorted Buddhist teachings allegedly relayed by their son, known as Niramitr or "Nong Nice". The parents were said to have been capitalising on their child for self-interest, using various media outlets, including live social media streams, to spread doctrine at odds with established Buddhist texts. A ban was put in place to prevent any of the youngster's sermons or images being made...

Now, imagine actually having your hands on a winning ticket — one worth $2.5 million — only to lose it. Mildred Simoneriluto, of Monroeville, Pa., has been trying to find the ticket she accidentally left in the pocket of a jacket she donated, to no avail. Simoneriluto purchased the lottery ticket in May 2024 at a grocery store in nearby Murrysville and realized two weeks later that she had the winning numbers to a $2.5 million jackpot — but couldn’t find it. The 76-year-old retraced her steps and realized it was in the pocket of a jacket she had donated — along with other clothing — to Vietnam Veterans of America which, according WTAE, hands out its...

A Singapore luxury mansion has been purchased at a record price per square foot by a scion of the family which backs one of Malaysia’s largest banks. The S$93.9 million (US$70.3 million, or RM310 million) purchase of a so-called Good Class Bungalow under construction in the city-state’s Tanglin Hill area was completed last month, according to property records seen by Bloomberg News. It was bought by Diona Teh Li Shian, a daughter of the late tycoon Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow, who founded Public Bank Bhd. Good Class Bungalows are highly coveted in land-scarce Singapore, with only about 2,800 available, and their ownership largely restricted to locals. The purchased property is...

An amended lawsuit filed in federal court on Sunday alleges that rap moguls Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs raped a 13-year-old girl during a party in 2000. Jay-Z denied the allegations on social media and lambasted the lawsuit, calling it part of a “blackmail attempt” by the plaintiff’s lawyer. In a statement posted by his label, Roc Nation, he said he was heartbroken for his family, and for having to explain the nature of the allegations to his and Beyoncé’s oldest daughter, Blue Ivy, 12. Lawyers for Jay-Z did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters. Combs denied all allegations against him, including this one, in October. He...

A biohacking Harvard researcher claims he has de-aged himself by a decade after taking up four simple daily habits in middle age. David Sinclair, a molecular biologist, has now had 53 birthdays — but claims DNA testing suggests his body is still 43. Biological age looks at the health of cells rather than how long someone has actually been alive. He was prompted to start the healthy routine in his 30s after becoming overweight and drinking too much. So what's his secret? (Dr David Sinclair pictured in his 40s) (And shown above aged 53 years) These are his four tips for reversing aging:(Do aerobic exercise such as running to live longer, researchers say) Run three times a...

In a shocking incident, three German children living in Spain were rescued from a Covid lockdown ‘house of horrors’ after being forced for years by their parents to stay there even after pandemic restrictions were relaxed. Yes! You read that right. As per The New York Post, citing a local outlet El Comercio, the siblings—8-year-old twins and a 10-year-old—were eventually evacuated from the home in Oviedo, Spain’s northwest, on Monday by the officials after being locked inside since 2021. (Two children are led out of the home after being locked inside for years.)   (Inside the home where the children were kept for years.) The official said,...

3 teens invented a salt-powered refrigerator that doesn't need electricity. They're building 200 of them for hospitals to use. Three teenagers designed a mini refrigerator that cools itself with salt and doesn't require an outlet. They're bringing it to hospitals to help transport medical supplies to rural areas without electricity. Dhruv Chaudhary, Mithran Ladhania, and Mridul Jain live in Indore, India, and all have parents working in the medical field. The boys decided to find a salty refrigeration technique after hearing how challenging it was to bring COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas without electricity. Their invention, which they call Thermavault, won them the 2025 Earth Prize on...

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne was found dead after the 31-year-old fell from his third-floor room balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentine police said on Wednesday. Police said in a statement that they were called to the CasaSur hotel in the capital's leafy Palermo neighborhood after being notified of an "aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol". The shock death of One Direction star Liam Payne in Buenos Aires sees the 31-year-old leave behind a mega fortune for his only child.   (Liam Payne’s death has shocked the world. Picture: Marc Piasecki/GC Images)   Payne shares his only child, a son born in 2017, Bear Gray Payne, with...

A well-respected family in the UK was recently awarded compensation of $100,000 by a restaurant that had publicly accused them of leaving without settling the bill. In July of last year, Peter and Ann McGirr, along with their children Peter Jr and Carol, visited The Horse & Jockey Inn in the Peak District, England. It was a pretty uneventful affair; the family ordered ribeye and gammon steaks and washed them down with ales and lagers before leaving for their home in Omagh, Northern Ireland. Only shortly after their departure, The Horse & Jockey Facebook page posted a video of the McGirrs’ allegedly leaving the establishment without paying the £150 ($200) bill. The...