Why are gold and silver prices hitting record highs?

The price of gold has soared nearly 70% this year.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/gold-silver-prices-hitting-record-highs/story?id=128616073

Trump speech sparks optimism as 'gangbuster' economy forecasted for 2026

Newt Gingrich joins commentators in expressing economic confidence after president's address

https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-speech-sparks-optimism-gangbuster-economy-forecasted-2026

Hamasniks disrupt Boxing Day shopping at Eaton Centre

And Pro-Palestine protesters are threatening to interrupt New Year’s Eve celebrations next

Families and shoppers were just trying to enjoy the light show and pick up some Boxing Day deals at the Eaton Centre when the Hamasniks showed up.

The people who have decided that you can’t enjoy anything without their interruption, the people who seem to control the streets and spaces both public and private in Toronto.

“Free, free Palestine!” came the chant from one of the masked organizers using a megaphone.

Yes, that’s right, they used multiple megaphones indoors to blast their message and damage the hearing of those unfortunate enough to be nearby.

https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-hamasniks-freely-disrupt-boxing-day-shopping-at-eaton-centre

Israel and the Palestinians: History of the conflict explained

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is one of the longest-running and most violent disputes in the world. Its origins go back more than a century.

There have been a series of wars between Israel and Arab nations. Uprisings - called intifadas - against Israeli occupation, and reprisals and crackdowns by Israel have also taken place.

The consequences of the historic dispute over issues including land, borders and rights are still being felt, and include the latest war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

What was Israel before 1948 and how was it created?

Britain took control of the area known as Palestine in World War One, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled that part of the Middle East.

An Arab majority and a Jewish minority lived there, as well as other ethnic groups.

Tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations deepened when the UK agreed in principle to the establishment of a "national home" in Palestine for Jewish people - a pledge known as the Balfour Declaration.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgr71z0jp4o

Bishops elect Coakley, stress immigration reform amid Trump's deportation agenda

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City as its new leader, signaling the Conference's prioritization of protecting migrant families amid President Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign.

Coakley will serve as the president of the Conference for three years — encompassing the remainder of Trump's presidency.

Over the past three years, Coakley served as the secretary for the Conference. He is known as being a more outspoken Catholic conservative, emphasizing his strong opposition to abortion and the death penalty. He praised Oklahoma for enacting a near total abortion ban in 2021. And just two days after President Donald Trump's inauguration, Coakley issued a statement urging for Catholics to be mindful of the plight of the migrant as "the conversation concerning 'mass deportation' takes hold.

https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/bishops-elect-coakley-stress-immigration-reform-amid-trumps-deportation-agenda-the-united-states-conference-of-catholic-bishops-pope-leo