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Dutch Historian Finds Medieval Treasure Using Metal Detector

Photo of the treasure courtesy of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Twitter account
Photo of the treasure courtesy of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Twitter account
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Dutch Historian Finds Medieval Treasure Using Metal Detector

Photo of the treasure courtesy of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Twitter account
Photo of the treasure courtesy of the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities Twitter account

A Dutch historian found a unique 1,000-year-old medieval golden treasure, consisting of four golden ear pendants, two strips of gold leaf and 39 silver coins, the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) announced on Thursday.

Lorenzo Ruijter, 27, who told Reuters he has been treasure hunting since he was 10, discovered the treasure in 2021 in the small northern city of Hoogwoud, using a metal detector.

"It was very special discovering something this valuable, I can't really describe it. I never expected to discover anything like this", Ruijter said, adding that it was hard to keep it a secret for two years.

But experts of the National Museum of Antiquities needed the time to clean, investigate and date the treasure's objects and have now found that the youngest coin can be dated back to around 1250, which made them assume the treasure was buried then.

By that time the jewelry was already two centuries old, the museum said, adding it must already have been "an expensive and cherished possession".

"Golden jewelry from the High Middle Ages is extremely rare in the Netherlands," the museum also said.

While it will remain a mystery why exactly the treasure was buried, the museum pointed out there was a war raging between Dutch regions West Friesland and Holland in the middle of the 13th century, with Hoogwoud being the epicenter.

Lorenzo said it is possible someone powerful at the time buried the valuable objects as a way to protect them and hopefully dig them up once it was safe again.

Given its archaeological significance, the treasure was given as a loan to the museum which will display it, but it will remain the official property of finder Lorenzo Ruijter.

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Varieties

Long-Awaited First Snowfall Brings Relief to Water-Scarce Kabul

An Afghan man rides a bicycle along a road during snowfall in the green zone area of Kabul on January 22, 2026. (AFP)
An Afghan man rides a bicycle along a road during snowfall in the green zone area of Kabul on January 22, 2026. (AFP)
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Long-Awaited First Snowfall Brings Relief to Water-Scarce Kabul

An Afghan man rides a bicycle along a road during snowfall in the green zone area of Kabul on January 22, 2026. (AFP)
An Afghan man rides a bicycle along a road during snowfall in the green zone area of Kabul on January 22, 2026. (AFP)

Children sliding around on plastic bags, boys engaging in lively snowball fights, and families taking selfies on white-covered streets: residents of Kabul rejoiced on Friday at the long-awaited first snowfall of the winter.

Snow usually comes to the Afghan capital in December, but its six million inhabitants are increasingly feeling the effects of climate change, which has brought rising temperatures and water shortages that have disrupted daily life.

"In recent years, snow in Kabul has felt like nothing less than a blessing," 22-year-old Rukhsar Adel told AFP.

She and her family eagerly checked the weather forecast the night before and felt "happy and relieved" when white flakes started to fall on Thursday morning.

Kabul may run out of ground water by as early as 2030 due to climate change and rapid urbanization, studies show.

A United Nations projection also indicates that nearly half of Kabul's boreholes -- the primary source of drinking water for residents -- are already dry.

"More than half of the winter had already passed without snowfall. People became worried and even prayed for snow," Adel said.

- Hope for water -

"We all need water, and there is a lack of water in Kabul," said 32-year-old Hekmatullah Ahady, adding that a 100-meter-deep (330-foot) well at his house dried up last year.

He said he hoped the snow would help to replenish water levels and make it easier for his family to get water.

Plus, he said, seeing the city blanketed in white was "so nice", even though his commute to work took longer.

Severe storms and heavy rains have killed at least 15 people, including children, across Afghanistan in the last three days, officials have said, though there have been no reported casualties in Kabul.

Heavy snow both in the provinces and the capital has caused traffic accidents, with rescue teams mobilized all night to give assistance, according to the National Disaster Management Authority.

In a change from Kabul's traffic-clogged streets, people enjoyed a rare dose of quiet as some drivers left their cars unused.

Boys took full advantage, hurling snowballs at each other along roadsides and in alleys, while small crowds gathered at street stalls to buy warm soup or coffee.

Varieties

Ancient Forest in Ecuador Is Last Stand for Tiny Hummingbird Facing Extinction

A Sparkling Violetear hummingbird hovers at the Yanacocha Reserve in Nono, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
A Sparkling Violetear hummingbird hovers at the Yanacocha Reserve in Nono, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
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Ancient Forest in Ecuador Is Last Stand for Tiny Hummingbird Facing Extinction

A Sparkling Violetear hummingbird hovers at the Yanacocha Reserve in Nono, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)
A Sparkling Violetear hummingbird hovers at the Yanacocha Reserve in Nono, Ecuador, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)

Deep in the Ecuadorian Andes, an ancient forest stands as a final sanctuary against the encroachment of human activity. This is the Yanacocha Reserve, the last refuge for the Black-breasted puffleg (Eriocnemis nigrivestis), a tiny hummingbird teetering on the edge of extinction.

Measuring just 9 centimeters (3.5 inches), this emblematic bird of Quito is one of the most threatened species on the planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, its global population has dwindled to between 150 and 200 birds.

Founded 25 years ago by the Jocotoco Foundation, the Yanacocha Reserve has become a centerpiece for Andean biodiversity.

“We realized we were conserving an entire ecosystem, not just one species,” conservationist Paola Villalba told The Associated Press.

The bird is easily identified by the striking white “trousers” of feathers around its legs, which contrast sharply with its deep, metallic black chest and bronze-green wings. Despite its beauty, its survival is at risk as high-altitude forests are cleared for grazing and agriculture.

Shirley Farinango, of the Birds and Conservation Foundation, notes that the pressure is most intense because the puffleg occupies a narrow ecological niche between 3,000 and 3,500 meters (9,800 and 11,400 feet) above sea level. This specific elevation, she said, is “prime territory" to be converted to agricultural land.

On the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 45 kilometers (27 miles) northwest of Quito, conservationists are now racing to restore this cloud-shrouded forest.

For the “smallest fairies” of the Andes, these dense trees are more than just a habitat — they are their last stand.

Varieties

Trump Attributes New Bruise on Hand to Aspirin Consumption

President Donald Trump applauses during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump applauses during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
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Trump Attributes New Bruise on Hand to Aspirin Consumption

President Donald Trump applauses during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
President Donald Trump applauses during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

US President Donald Trump on Thursday blamed a noticeable bruise on his left hand to his high intake of aspirin.

The bruise appeared after he bumped a table at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he returned to the US. His aspirin dosage makes him bruise easily, Trump said.

“They ‌say take ‌aspirin if you like ‌your ⁠heart, but don’t take ‌aspirin if you don’t want to have a little bruising. I take the big aspirin,” Trump said.

“The doctor said, ‘You don’t have to take that, sir. You’re very healthy.’ I said, 'I’m not taking any chances,'” Trump added.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt ⁠said in a statement Trump hit his hand on the ‌corner of the signing table during ‍his Board of Peace ‍announcement.

Four doctors, two surgeons and two internists, ‍who spoke to Reuters agreed it was possible that aspirin contributed to the bruising.

Trump said in a Wall Street Journal interview earlier this month that he takes a larger daily dose of aspirin than his doctors recommend because he wants “nice, thin blood ⁠pouring through my heart.”

Last summer, Leavitt told reporters the hand bruising was from shaking so many hands.

Trump, 79, is the second-oldest person to ever hold the presidency, following his Democratic predecessor President Joe Biden, who dropped his 2024 reelection bid amid questions about his fitness for the job and left office a year ago at 82.