A homeowner clearing a yard for a new patio has made an extraordinary archaeological discovery: Denmark’s largest known Viking Age silver hoard.

North Jutland Museums announced the find in northern Denmark on Aug. 31.

The treasure was uncovered by a private individual preparing the ground for a tiled terrace, the museum said in a statement.

The homeowner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, described the moment as “the biggest surprise of my life.”

“It should have been just a few hours of hard gardening to remove stubborn grass, stones and gravel in relation to a new tiled terrace,” the finder said.

About 30 minutes into the work, the homeowner hit something that produced “a strange sound.”

“At first I thought it was old iron or fence wire as well as some potsherds, but when I started digging with my hands, I could suddenly fish one metal object after another out of the ground,” the person recalled.

“After a short time of careful work, it dawned on me that it was jewelry, coins and silver bars,” the homeowner added.

Buried inside a clay vessel and believed to date to the 10th century, the hoard contains roughly 700 objects and fragments. The collection includes silver ingots, bracelets, coins, a small Thor’s hammer and pieces of cut silver.

North Jutland Museums said the discovery is the largest known Viking Age silver hoard ever found in Denmark.

It surpasses the previous record-holder, the approximately 14-pound Terslev hoard, and weighs nearly three times as much.

Around 320 objects weighing a combined 14 pounds remained inside the original clay vessel. The remaining items were scattered in the surrounding soil.

The homeowner will not be able to keep the treasure. Danish law grants ownership of such hoards to the state, although the finder may receive a reward.

The discovery followed the recovery of six Viking Age gold arm rings from the same area earlier in 2026, Torben Sarauw, head of cultural heritage at North Jutland Museums, told Fox News Digital.

“Almost everything about this discovery surprised me,” Sarauw said.

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“We did not expect that the same area would also produce one of the largest Viking Age silver hoards ever found in Denmark.”

Sarauw said the hoard stands out for both its exceptional size and the range of objects it contains.

“It contains an unusually large number of silver ingots,” Sarauw said. “One ingot bears runic inscriptions that may have been intended to protect the treasure, while others are marked with Thor’s hammers and Christian crosses.”

“The combination of pagan and Christian symbols, together with the runic inscription and the sheer quantity of silver, makes the find unique,” he added.

Whoever buried the hoard was likely “extremely wealthy and of very high social status,” Sarauw said, although that person’s identity has been lost to history.

“The size of the hoard suggests access to extensive networks of trade, exchange and perhaps political power,” the official said. 

“The discovery also indicates that Himmerland was home to a significant center of wealth during the Viking Age, something we are only beginning to understand.”

Sarauw said hoards were typically buried to safeguard wealth during uncertain times. 

This treasure may be connected to another silver hoard found nearby several years ago.

“Someone who buried more than 18 kilograms [40 pounds] of silver was clearly concerned about losing it,” he said.

“One possible explanation is that the owner died before he could recover his treasure, perhaps while traveling or taking part in an overseas expedition. Of course, this remains a hypothesis, and we cannot know for certain.”

There is additional significance, Sarauw said.

“This discovery is helping to change our understanding of northern Jutland during the Viking Age,” he said.

“Together with the nearby gold arm rings and other important finds from the area, it suggests that Himmerland may have played a much more prominent role in the political and economic landscape of Viking Age Denmark than previously believed.”

Germany’s federal prosecutor has indicted seven people accused of acquiring weapons for Hamas in preparation for terrorist attacks timed around the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

The case has brought renewed attention to the threat posed by Hamas networks operating in Europe, including the potential danger to Israeli, American and European institutions and civilians.

According to the prosecutor’s office, all seven defendants are members of Hamas’s foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors said the group’s military arm, the Qassam Brigades, had begun setting up weapons caches in Europe and, by July 2025 at the latest, was planning a specific assassination in Germany or Austria targeting Israeli representatives, Jews or people viewed as supportive of Israel. The suspects were arrested between October 2025 and May 2026.

Prosecutors said the planned attack was intended to occur near the second anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel—meaning in early October 2025.

The indictment identified the defendants by first name and the initial of their surname: German citizen Abed Al G.; Danish citizen Yousif C.; Lebanon-born Borhan El-K.; Lebanon-born Wael F.M.; German citizen Ahmad I.; Lebanon-born Kamel M.; and Bulgarian citizen Mohammad S.

German privacy laws generally prevent authorities from publishing the full surnames of criminal suspects.

German prosecutors said the suspects had obtained a working fully automatic rifle, 13 operational pistols and more than 700 rounds of ammunition. They added that Mohammed A., who is facing separate proceedings, moved some of the weapons to Vienna and placed them in storage.

The German newspaper Die Welt reported that one defendant had worked as a confidential source for Germany’s domestic intelligence service. The newspaper said case files indicated the informant continued communicating with his handler while allegedly withholding the full scope of his role in securing ammunition for the network.

Sascha Adamek, a German journalist and author of the 2026 book “Infiltration: Political Islam Continues Its Advance,” told News Media that the arrests exposed the consequences of earlier German policies. He argued that, until 2023, successive federal governments allowed Hamas and affiliated front organizations to use Germany for fundraising, recruitment and the radicalization of young people. The assumption that Hamas would refrain from violence in Germany in exchange for being allowed to operate, he said, is no longer viable.

Germany’s latest federal domestic intelligence report estimated that Hamas may have had up to 650 operatives in the country in 2025, the most recent year covered. That compares with 550 in 2024 and 450 in 2023. Officials cautioned that the totals are partly estimated and rounded. The report also listed 1,250 Hezbollah operatives in Germany.

Asked why Hamas and Hezbollah members and operatives continue to conduct activities in Germany, the German Interior Ministry’s press office told News Media that Hamas has been prohibited from operating in the country since 2023. However, the ministry said the group still maintains a support network whose members have generally avoided public activity and visible signs of affiliation.

The ministry said Hezbollah is also banned in Germany but does not operate through a single nationwide or regional umbrella organization. Instead, its supporters are dispersed among various associations. Those groups, which authorities classify as Hezbollah-linked, primarily engage in religious and cultural activities and educational programs for children, young people and adults promoting conservative Islam and Shi’ite identity. In some cases, the ministry said, supporters have provided specific assistance to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Responding to criticism that Germany has been too lenient in dismantling Hamas and Hezbollah structures, the Interior Ministry pointed to its legal actions. It said Hamas’s activities were banned on Nov. 2, 2023, because they violate German criminal law, undermine international understanding and significantly harm Germany’s interests. Hezbollah’s activities had previously been prohibited on April 30, 2020, for similar reasons, the ministry said.

The ministry added that federal and state security agencies routinely investigate indications of extremist activity and criminal offenses while reviewing all countermeasures permitted under German law.

It also said Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and Israel’s subsequent military operation in the Gaza Strip continue to influence the security environment in Germany and across Europe. Alongside the elevated underlying threat, officials cited sustained pro-Palestinian demonstrations and intensified activity on social media. The ministry warned that extremist actors in Germany are promoting hatred or violence against Jews and Israel and, in some cases, denying Israel’s right to exist.

The presence of indicted Lebanese men highlights the alliance between the two U.S-designated terrorist organizations, Hamas and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.

The Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah joined Hamas a day after the Gaza-based terrorist movement invaded Israel in 2023 and slaughtered over 1,200 people.

Germany’s Die Welt reported, “The prosecutors alleged the weapons operation was also coordinated from Lebanon, where a Hamas operative allegedly oversaw one of the procurement channels linking members of the network across Europe.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry seized on the report about the planned Hamas terror attacks in Germany and Austria, posting on X: “Palestinian Hamas was planning terror on the streets of Europe. German prosecutors say Hamas plotted attacks in Berlin and Vienna targeting Jewish communities and Israeli diplomats – part of a network allegedly using Turkey as a base for terror operations against European targets. The goal: mark October 7 with more blood.”

Matthew Levitt, a leading scholar on Hezbollah and Hamas in Europe from the Washington Institute, told News Media, “I wrote the only long form, detailed expose on this a while back now in CTC Sentinel [Combating Terrorism Center}, based on court documents and extensive interviews.” He added, “Hamas continues plotting in Europe, overseen by senior Qassam Brigades officials in Lebanon and with direct ties to senior Hamas leadership. One of the people arrested in Europe is the son of a senior Hamas leader, Basem Naim.”

Levitt published his article titled “Hamas Plots in Europe: A Shift Toward External Operations?” in the October 2025 issue of the West Point journal CTC.

Levitt cited a 2024 German prosecution indictment of alleged Hezbollah terrorists planning possible attacks against an American military base and Israel’s embassy. Levitt wrote, “The weapons, German officials concluded, ‘were intended to expand Hamas’ activities in Europe.‘ As the investigation progressed, German authorities determined — based on materials found on one of the defendants’ USB storage devices — that the Hamas operatives were considering specific targets in Germany, including the Israeli embassy in Berlin, the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Rhineland-Palatinate and the area around Berlin’s Tempelhof airport.”

Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, warned that Hamas remains a serious security threat. He told the German media outlet Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND), “Germany has gone from being a retreat for Hamas to an active terrorist target.” He stressed Hamas’ ideology and terrorism affects “all of us” and a coordinated response is required.

Hayden Panettiere was remembered by friends and former colleagues during a memorial service in Malibu, California, on Saturday.

Paris Hilton, along with Panettiere’s former Nashville co-stars Connie Britton and Charles Esten, joined the celebration of life at a local church, according to TMZ.

Evan Ross, Jonathan Jackson and Lennon Stella were also among the well-known guests in attendance.

A source described the gathering as “emotional and beautiful,” telling the publication that the service began outside with the release of doves.

Roughly 150 mourners then went inside, where a band had been arranged for the occasion. Britton and Esten delivered heartfelt speeches in honor of their late friend.

Esten also performed a song from Nashville, the series in which he and Panettiere worked together.

Panettiere’s father, Skip, attended the service, while her mother, Leslie Vogel, was reportedly absent. The actress had been estranged from Vogel.

A source close to Vogel disputed the suggestion that she had been invited, telling TMZ that she was unable to attend because of a family emergency.

Brian Hickerson, Panettiere’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, and his brother Zach have responded to reports that they were not included in the actress’s memorial service.

According to TMZ, the brothers understand why they were left off the guest list for Panettiere’s celebration of life.

Panettiere died a month ago at 36. She suffered cardiac arrest following a suspected overdose in South Carolina, where she had been staying at an Airbnb with Brian, 37, and Zach, 38.

In the aftermath of the Nashville star’s death, Brian has reportedly struggled emotionally and is said to have lost 40 pounds.

Detectives told the Daily Mail last month that they had responded to a 911 call from someone described as an acquaintance of Panettiere. The caller reportedly said she was unresponsive.

TMZ previously reported that Narcan, a nasal spray used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, was discovered on a mattress inside the loft apartment where Panettiere had been staying.

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The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Panettiere’s autopsy had been completed and that no signs of trauma were found on her body.

She had arrived in Greenville with Brian one day earlier.

According to the Greenville Police Department’s incident report, Zach told police that Brian was sleeping in a separate room of the Airbnb when he arrived and found the actress unresponsive in a chair.

Zach stated that Brian administered Narcan – a medication that reverses opioid overdoses – and that they performed CPR while communicating with 911 dispatchers.

Earlier this month, Brian and Zach were involved in a bar brawl, leading to the former’s detainment and the latter’s arrest for disorderly conduct.

The brothers had been drinking at Wild Wing Cafe, an eyewitness told TMZ, when other patrons allegedly heckled them over Panettiere’s August 16 death.

Panettiere had a tumultuous on-and-off relationship with Brian beginning in 2018.

Throughout their relationship, he was arrested and charged in connection with domestic abuse multiple times.

In 2021, he pleaded no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend, resulting in jail time, probation, domestic violence classes, $500 in restitution, and a five-year protective order, per People.

Zach previously told TMZ in the wake of the actress’s death: ‘There are a lot of assumptions, speculations and accusations currently swirling.

‘The truth will come out as the authorities complete and release additional details from the investigation. And that is important because the people who loved and adored Hayden deserve the truth.’

He described Panettiere as ‘precious’ and said her friends and family should be allowed to mourn her peacefully.

‘At this time, I want to clarify my involvement in effort to keep the focus on the fact that we lost one of the most precious individuals on this earth and to allow those that cared about her to mourn without additional noise, chaos, and misinformation being created and propagated by the media as well as the public,’ he said.

In today’s unforgiving job market, Gen Z candidates are bringing their best game to interviews.

Some are bringing an iced latte, too.

A generational debate has taken over the internet: Is arriving at a job interview with an iced coffee in hand unprofessional—or perfectly acceptable?

The conversation began after TikTok corporate recruiter @caitlinrecruiter criticized Gen Z candidates for showing up to interviews with iced lattes. Drawing on 16 years of experience placing candidates with Fortune 500 companies, she urged job seekers to think twice before bringing a casual beverage into the room.

“When you show up with an iced coffee or an iced latte, it is perceived—from my opinion and a hiring standpoint—that this interview is just a stop on your list of errands for the day,” she said in a viral video. “It looks like you went to Target, went to Starbucks, and now you’re stopping by your interview before moving on to the next thing.”

She maintained that carrying the drink can create an overly casual impression and make the candidate appear less serious about the opportunity.

The post quickly divided the internet, prompting hiring managers, job seekers and other professionals to weigh in on the iced coffee interview debate.

Another creator described bringing a “wet, plastic, condensation cup” into an interview room as “diabolical.” They pointed to the water ring a cold drink can leave on a table and the awkwardness of taking loud sips while trying to make a strong first impression.

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Gen Z job seekers and their supporters, however, defended the right to stay caffeinated. Some argued they would not want to work for an employer that judged them over their choice of beverage.

“I don’t want to f–king work for you if you don’t want to hire me because I bring an iced coffee,” one Gen Z TikToker said, dismissing what they called “traditional etiquette” and corporate brainwashing.

LinkedIn News brought professional advice to the discussion. Benjamin Chipman, a Gen Zer who works in marketing, suggested that interviewees who choose to bring a drink should carry it in their left hand, leaving the right hand free for a handshake. He also advised candidates not to rattle the ice or slurp the last drops.

“Is this a generational thing?” communications manager Adam Raider asked. “I would NEVER bring an iced coffee… or a hot coffee… or tea, soda, juice, sangria… or any other beverage into a job interview. I WOULD accept water, if it was offered.”

One Gen Z TikToker argued that the dispute is not really about lattes. Instead, they said, it reflects a broader rejection of “arbitrary standards of professionalism” that do not indicate whether a candidate can actually perform the job.

Critics see it differently. To them, arriving with a fresh cold brew can suggest poor time management—as if the candidate could not finish their morning coffee before heading to the office.

Gen Z is already facing a difficult employment landscape. Job postings in the United States for young adults ages 22 to 25 have fallen 13% since 2022 across industries exposed to artificial intelligence. Resumetemplates.com also reports that 41% of hiring managers believe Gen Z candidates show a general lack of professionalism, while 30% cite distraction.

In a highly competitive job market that is already scrutinizing Gen Z workplace habits, that iced coffee could cost candidates far more than the five dollars they paid for it.

A California animal rescue operator could face up to 24 1/2 years in state prison after being charged with 35 felony and misdemeanor counts over allegations that she left about 300 animals living in severe squalor.

Christine De Anda, 57, who operated the “Rock ‘N’ Pawz” rescue, is charged with 12 felony counts of animal cruelty, two felony counts of grand theft of labor and 21 misdemeanors. The charges include failing to provide proper care and operating an unlicensed kennel, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors have asked that De Anda’s bail be set at $914,500 before her arraignment at the Antelope Valley Courthouse.

“For someone who calls herself an animal rescuer, there’s a fundamental responsibility to protect and care for the animals entrusted to her,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “Instead, purported rescuer Christine De Anda allegedly left these animals to suffer or die from starvation, dehydration, untreated injuries and painful urine and fecal burns in filthy conditions.”

“After repeated citations and warnings, Ms. De Anda continued taking in animals she could not care for, leaving hundreds to endure prolonged suffering,” Hochman added. “These animal victims cannot speak for themselves and look to us to protect them. My office will hold their victimizer fully accountable for her inhumane actions.”

The case follows a March 20, 2026, search warrant carried out by Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control, or DACC. Investigators removed more than 300 animals, mostly dogs, along with cats, a pig, a rabbit, a goose and two goats. DACC Director Marcia Mayeda described it as the department’s “largest companion animal search warrant and rescue operation ever conducted.”

“More than 300 animals were removed from severely inhumane conditions,” Mayeda said. “Animals were living in and saturated with their own excrement, had serious untreated illnesses and injuries, were emaciated, and were forced to live in small crates without adequate room to properly lie comfortably. Our teams have worked tirelessly to stabilize them, provide the medical care they needed, and help them recover.”

Authorities said at least one cat was found dead from starvation and dehydration when the investigation began.

“Sadly, despite all efforts, we were unable to save every animal due to the extent of their illnesses and injuries,” Mayeda said. “DACC is deeply grateful for the support of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles, Pasadena Humane and Kern County Animal Services for assisting us with this rescue and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for its commitment to pursuing justice for these animals.”

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office also released a YouTube video showing the rescued animals at a shelter and documenting the conditions that led to the charges.

Prosecutors allege that De Anda continued accepting more animals despite years of citations and warnings about her inability to provide adequate care. She is also accused of violating county regulations by operating a kennel without the necessary land-use approval, allowing unsanitary conditions and maintaining structures with unpermitted construction, plumbing, electrical and grading work.