Gold prices surged to record highs amidst global uncertainty, while Caribbean nations are cultivating a new industry in cannabis, and a TikTok alternative is gaining traction.

Geopolitical tensions, trade policy concerns, inflation, and central bank activity drove investors towards safe-haven assets like gold, pushing prices to record levels, according to multiple news sources. Simultaneously, several Caribbean nations are tapping into the burgeoning cannabis market, legalizing the plant for medical and recreational use. Meanwhile, Skylight, a TikTok alternative, experienced a surge in users following concerns over TikTok's U.S. operations.

Caribbean nations, including Jamaica and Antigua and Barbuda, are capitalizing on favorable growing conditions and cultural acceptance to establish themselves in the cannabis industry, multiple news sources reported. The legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational purposes led to an increase in registered farms and dispensaries catering to both locals and tourists with medical authorization. Antiguan cannabis grower Michaelus Tracey said that a lot of effort is put into developing new strains. Tracey, a master cultivator at Pineapple Road farm in Antigua, identifies different cannabis varieties by their smell and the shape of their leaves, according to BBC Technology. The nations are focusing on developing unique cannabis strains with diverse flavor profiles and medicinal benefits, aiming to establish themselves as leaders in the industry.

In the technology sector, Skylight, a short-form video app built on open-source technology, saw its user base climb to over 380,000 after concerns arose over TikTok's U.S. deal, TechCrunch reported. Launched last year and backed by Mark Cuban and other investors, Skylight's mobile app is built on the AT Protocol, the technology that also powers the decentralized X rival, Bluesky, which now has north of 42 million users. Skylight, co-founded by CEO Tori White and CTO Reed Harmeyer, offers a built-in video editor, user profiles, support for likes, commenting, and sharing, and the ability for community curators to create custom feeds for others to follow.

In other news, Ryanair fares are expected to rise due to strong demand, according to BBC Business. The budget airline predicted prices would climb by up to 9%, compared to the 7% rise it predicted in November, as it estimates traveler numbers to grow by almost 208 million this year. The company reported its average fares rose 4% to 44 (38) over the three-month period to the end of December. However, the firm reported a steep drop in quarterly profits after being fined 256m (222m) by Italy's competition watchdog for "abusing its dominant position" by blocking travel agencies from accessing its services.

The world also mourned the loss of Sly Dunbar, the drumming half of the legendary reggae rhythm section Sly and Robbie, who died at the age of 73, Variety reported.

In climate news, VC firm 2150 raised a €210M fund to solve cities’ climate challenges, TechCrunch reported. Jacob Bro, co-founder and partner at 2150, told TechCrunch that cities aggregate all the prosperity in the world 80% of GDP but also 70% of emissions and all the other resources, all the waste, and all the downsides of the good life.

Finally, Nature reported on CytoTape, a genetically encoded, modular protein tape recorder for multiplexed and spatiotemporally scalable recording of gene regulation dynamics continuously for up to three weeks, physiologically compatible, with single-cell, minutes-scale resolution.