The site was revealed after torrential rains in 2023, and subsequently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) conducted a survey at the spot, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said on Monday.

A fossil bed belonging to the middle-to-late Holocene period, approximately 8,000 to 12,000 years ago, was discovered at Panaiyur area in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said on Monday.

The site was revealed after torrential rains in 2023, and subsequently, the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) conducted a survey at the spot, he said.

Officials confirmed that the site is a previously unidentified fossil bed, enriching India’s Quaternary fossil record, which spans the last 2.6 million years and covers major climatic and ecological changes, including the emergence of modern ecosystems.

“The assessment confirms a newly discovered fossil bed dating back to the Holocene period (8,000-12,000 years ago), which significantly enriches the Quaternary fossil record of India. This discovery is important because it helps us better understand India’s ancient wildlife, environment, and climate,” the Environment minister said in a post on X.

He also stated that the Environment Ministry commended ZSI’s swift and exemplary scientific response in safeguarding India’s natural heritage.

Scientists involved in the study say the fossils may help reconstruct which species lived in the region and what environmental conditions existed during the late Holocene period. Analysis of the material could also indicate whether the area was once covered by forests, grasslands, or influenced by marine environments.

Researchers noted that fossil evidence from this time period in southern India is still limited, making the site especially significant for filling gaps in regional prehistoric data.

Experts also pointed out that extreme weather events like heavy rainfall can expose hidden geological formations, though they warned that such exposed fossil sites are vulnerable and require careful protection to prevent deterioration.

Further excavation and advanced dating studies are planned at the Thoothukudi site to better understand its age and scientific value, with researchers hoping it will shed light on long-term environmental and climate shifts in the region.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

Members of Bnei Menashe, a Jewish community that has long resided in India’s Northeast, largely in Manipur and Mizoram, recently arrived in Israel.

About 250 members of an Indian community from the north-east arrived in Israel recently, becoming the first batch of the community to do so, with many more expected to follow in the coming weeks.

Called the Bnei Menashe, the Jewish community has long resided in India’s Northeast, largely in Manipur and Mizoram. Their arrival in Tel Aviv is part of Israel’s broad efforts to bring the Jewish community home under ‘Operation Wings of Dawn’, announced in November 2025.

While 250 members have arrived in Israel, about 1,200 more are expected to arrive by the end of this year, according to a Jerusalem Post report.

Who are the Bnei Manashe?

Tucked away in some parts of the Manipur and Mizoram for years now, the Jewish community claims association with the Menashe tribe, one of the 10 tribes pushed into exile some 2,800 years ago.

According to a New York Times report, about 10,000 people from the community live in the Northeast and teach their children about the importance of their religion and how their ancestors wandered from the ancient Middle East across Asia.

“We have good faith in the Israeli government. They promised that all the B’nei Menashe will go to Israel by 2030,” Shimon Ngamthenlal, a member of the community, was quoted as saying by the publication.

The Bnei Manashe community reportedly has a history of moving through ersia, Afghanistan, Tibet and China, while continuing to follow Jewish religious practices. Missionaries in India converted them to Christianity and as they make their way to Israel to be on a land of Jews, they would have to convert again to become citizens, per a PTI news agency report.

Since the 1990s, nearly half of the community has immigrated to Israel and about 6,000 are still waiting.

Why does Israel want the Indian community?

In 2025, the Israeli government announced a program – Operation ‘Wings of Dawn’, to facilate the immigration of the remaining members of the Jewish community. For the community’s relocation, the Israeli government has stipulated as cost of about $30 million, which includes their flights, their conversion classes, housing, Hebrew lessons, and other special benefits.

As stated in an NYT report, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu feels that the funding is “an important and Zionist decision that will also strengthen the North and Galilee” regions of Israel.

The Bnei Manashe community in India is highly in connect with their religion. “We follow Judaism, and here we cannot follow all our customs,” Benjamin Haokip, a member of the community in Manipur told NYT. “We want to go to Israel for our religion,” he said.

Operation ‘Wings of Dawn’ is reportedly a joint initiative led by the Aliyah and Integration Ministry and the Jewish Agency for Israel. While the first flight of the Bnei Manashe members landed in Tel Aviv recently, two additional flights are scheduled in the next two weeks, according to the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, as stated in the PTI report.

The newcomers received a rousing welcome in Tel Aviv as members already present in the country cheered for them, and they walked down a red carpet wearing traditional clothing.

“We are making history as we bring the entire Bnei Menashe community to Israel… There is no more fitting and moving time to welcome a plane full of olim than right after the State’s 78th Independence Day. Welcome home,” Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer was quoted as saying in a Jerusalem Post report.

‘Aliyah’ is the term used to describe the immigration of Jewish people to Israel and a group that makes the transition is called ‘Olim’.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

The Central Reserve Police Force on Friday inaugurated a memorial built in honour of its 25 personnel killed in a 2017 Maoist ambush in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh and asserted that their ultimate sacrifice helped free the state from the Naxal menace.

CRPF Deputy Inspector General Anand Rajpurohit dedicated the memorial at the headquarters of the central force’s 74th battalion at Dornapal in the district.

In one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in the history of insurgency, 25 personnel, belonging to the CRPF’s 74th battalion, were killed on April 24, 2017, when Maoists ambushed them in Burkapal under Chintagufa police station limits while they were providing security for road construction work.

DIG Rajpurohit said sacrifices of the fallen jawans symbolise their unwavering commitment to the unity, integrity and security of the nation.

“On April 24, we remember our brave colleagues who laid down their lives while ensuring security for development works. Their courage and dedication continue to inspire future generations,” he declared.

“It is due to their sacrifice that Chhattisgarh has become Maoist free. We once again pay tribute to them,” the IPS officer stated.

The memorial was formally inaugurated with rituals and ceremonies, followed by a guard of honour by officers and personnel of the CRPF. A two-minute silence was observed in memory of the fallen jawans.

The Baster region, where Sukma is located, had once witnessed intense Maoist activity, particularly during the construction of the Dornapal-Jagargunda road, which required heavy security deployment. Several security personnel had laid down their lives during the road construction, which was targeted by Naxals, said officials.

The sacrifices of these personnel have significantly contributed in improving security in the region. The memorial has been established to preserve the legacy, courage and supreme sacrifice of the fallen jawans, they said.

Commandant of the CRPF’s 74th battalion Himanshu Pandey, officials and personnel of the 159th, 223rd and 226th battalions of the force were present at the dedication ceremony.

Notably, a similar memorial dedicated to 76 security personnel killed in a 2010 Maoist ambush in the Tadmetla area of Sukma district was inaugurated on April 6 this year.

Chhattisgarh, particularly the Bastar region, which grappled with Left-Wing Extremism for over four decades, was declared free of armed Maoists on March 31, coinciding with the Centre’s deadline to eliminate the menace from the country.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

Critics’ Week will be held in Cannes from May 13 to 21.

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia will serve as president of the jury for the 65th edition of Critics’ Week, the independent sidebar of Cannes Film Festival said in a statement.

Kapadia, who won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2024 for All We Imagine as Light, will be joined on the jury by Quebecois actor Theodore Pellerin, singer-songwriter Oklou, Ghanaian-British producer Ama Ampadu, and journalist and director of the Bangkok World Film Festival Donsaron Kovitvanitcha.

Kapadia will present the Ami Paris Grand Prize for best feature film, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for best actor or actress, and the Sony Discovery Prize for best short film.

Last week 11 features were selected for this year’s Critics’ Week, including Sara Ishaq’s The Station and Blerta Basholli’s Dua.

Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia will serve as president of the jury for the 65th edition of Critics’ Week, the independent sidebar of Cannes Film Festival said in a statement.

Kapadia, who won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2024 for All We Imagine as Light, will be joined on the jury by Quebecois actor Theodore Pellerin, singer-songwriter Oklou, Ghanaian-British producer Ama Ampadu, and journalist and director of the Bangkok World Film Festival Donsaron Kovitvanitcha.

Kapadia will present the Ami Paris Grand Prize for best feature film, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award for best actor or actress, and the Sony Discovery Prize for best short film.

Last week 11 features were selected for this year’s Critics’ Week, including Sara Ishaq’s The Station and Blerta Basholli’s Dua.

Special screenings will include Phuong Mai Nguyen’s In Waves, the first animated film to open Critics’ Week.

Critics’ Week will be held in Cannes from May 13 to 21.

Kapadia’s short films Afternoon Clouds and And What is the Summer Saying were selected at the Cinefondation and the Berlinale, before her debut feature documentary A Night of Knowing Nothing went to Cannes in 2021, and won the L’Oeil d’Or for Best Documentary.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)

. India has dispatched a major diesel consignment to Bangladesh as the neighbouring country grapples with a severe fuel shortage triggered by disruptions in global oil supplies following the war in Iran.

New Delhi sent 5,000 tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh as part of the ongoing energy trade arrangement between the two nations, highlighting growing cooperation in the energy sector.

Bangladesh has been facing shortages of petrol and diesel after oil supplies were disrupted in the wake of the conflict involving Iran. Authorities in Dhaka confirmed receiving the latest shipment and have sought additional supplies from India to stabilise domestic fuel availability.

“We have an agreement with India, and under that agreement India will supply 180,000 tonnes of diesel to Bangladesh each year through the pipeline,” Muhammad Rezanur Rahman told ANI on Tuesday.

He said the 5,000 tonnes arriving now are part of that existing arrangement.

Rahman explained that the bilateral deal requires Bangladesh to import at least 90,000 tonnes of diesel from India within six months.

“The consignment arriving today is 5,000 tonnes, and we hope that within the next two months we will bring in the total diesel amount for the entire six months,” he added.

India supplies diesel to Bangladesh through the India–Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, which became operational in 2017. The fuel is transported on a commercial basis by Numaligarh Refinery Limited.

Officials in New Delhi said Bangladesh’s request for additional diesel supplies would be considered depending on fuel availability and prevailing market conditions.

The clarification came amid India’s assurance that it is not facing any fuel shortage despite rising uncertainty in global energy markets caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crossed 30 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel, further strengthening his position as the most-followed world leader on the video-sharing platform.

With this milestone, Modi continues to outpace other global political figures in terms of digital outreach. The second-highest among world leaders, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, has a subscriber base that is roughly one-fourth of the Indian Prime Minister’s.

The Prime Minister’s channel also has more than seven times the number of subscribers compared to US President Donald Trump, reflecting the scale of his online engagement across audiences worldwide.

Within India too, Modi’s digital footprint remains unmatched among political leaders. His YouTube subscriber count is nearly three times higher than that of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Additionally, the Prime Minister’s channel has more than four times the subscriber base of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Indian National Congress individually.

The milestone underscores the growing importance of digital platforms in political communication, with leaders increasingly leveraging social media to connect directly with citizens and global audience.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

India has sent a humanitarian shipment of 1,000 metric tons of rice to Malawi to help the country cope with a severe food shortage triggered by drought linked to the El Niño phenomenon. The move reflects New Delhi’s continued commitment to supporting nations in the Global South and strengthening South–South cooperation.

The consignment was dispatched from Nhava Sheva Port and is aimed at assisting Malawian communities affected by the ongoing food crisis. Sharing the development on X, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said the initiative highlights the India–Malawi partnership in promoting food security.

Malawi is currently grappling with a serious humanitarian situation, with more than four million people — nearly 20 percent of the population — facing acute food shortages. The situation has led to rising malnutrition and forced many families to skip meals.

The crisis has largely been attributed to the El Niño weather pattern, which has caused irregular rainfall and prolonged dry spells across the country. The drought has also resulted in the shrinking of key water bodies, including Lake Chilwa, worsening agricultural losses and water scarcity. In response, the Malawian government has declared a national state of disaster.

India and Malawi maintain friendly bilateral relations, supported by regular high-level engagements and development cooperation. In October last year, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar congratulated George Chaponda on his appointment as Malawi’s Foreign Minister and expressed optimism about expanding ties between the two nations.

Chaponda was appointed by Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika following the formation of the new government. Jaishankar noted that Chaponda’s close association with India could further strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Relations between the two countries also received a boost during the 2024 state visit of Droupadi Murmu to Malawi. During the visit, President Murmu met her Malawian counterpart Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera and held discussions aimed at deepening cooperation across multiple sectors.

The visit also saw the signing of several Memorandums of Understanding covering areas such as arts and culture, youth affairs, sports, and pharmaceutical collaboration.

While in Malawi, President Murmu paid tribute at the National War Memorial, honouring soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars and other conflicts. She also laid a wreath at the Kamuzu Mausoleum, the resting place of the country’s first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)