THRISSUR l friday l January 24, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 14 l city EDITION Indian representation confirmed at oscars 2025 as anuja gets nod a lien, i’m not a robot among competitors Anuja, a short film set in New Delhi, bagged a nomination in the Live Action Short category at the 97th Academy Awards on Thursday Monga, Priyanka executive producers Anuja tells the story of a gifted nine-year-old, who must make a choice between education and factory work. Directed by Adam J Graves and Suchitra Mattai, the film stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag. Other nominees for the Live Action Short category are: A Lien, I’m Not a Robot, The Last Ranger, and The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent ■ ■ Anuja has two-time Oscar winning producer Guneet Monga on board as executive producer. Recently, actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas also boarded the project as an executive producer The film is produced by NGO Salaam Baalak Trust, which supports street children, along with Shine Global, and Krushan Naik Films March 2 when the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI CM defends brewery project, welcomes more proposals plying to the volley of allegations, including corruption, from the Opposition during the discussion on the governor’s policy address in the House. “The liquor policy says that new IMFL and beer production units will be encouraged E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ T’Puram Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has categorically stated that there is no going back on the Palakkad brewery project. “The project was sanctioned in line with the government’s liquor policy. The government will encourage investors who come up with similar constructive proposals,” he informed the assembly on Thursday . The chief minister was re- since they would bring revenue to the government and create job opportunities. It also speaks about facilitating extraneutral alcohol (ENA) production. The state has 10 distilleries, eight blending units and two breweries. Of them, eight distilleries and The project was sanctioned in line with the government’s liquor policy. The government will encourage investors who come up with similar constructive proposals — Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister 5,300 yrs ago Iron Age began in tamil soil, says stalin, cites scientific proof T M u r u g a n a n d h a m @ Chennai Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday, based on the results of scientific dating of archaeological samples, declared that iron was used in the present Tamil-speaking region even in the mid third to fourth millennia, thereby pushing the Iron Age period back by around two millennia. The results establish that iron was used in the region over 5,300 years ago, he said. Releasing the report titled, ‘Antiquity of Iron: Recent Radiometric Dates from Tamil Nadu’ in Chennai, Stalin said he was making the remarkable anthropological announcement, not only to India but to the whole world, that the “Iron Age began on Tamil soil”. The results were based on samples sent from various archaeological sites including Sivagalai in Thoothukudi district, Adichanallur in Tirunelveli district, Mayiladumparai in Krishnagiri district to three renowned laboratories — Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; and Beta Analytic Lab, Florida, USA. While the samples were sent to Indian labs for Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) analysis, the samples from the same sites were sent for radiometric analysis to the Beta Analytic Lab in Florida. Similar results have been received from all the three labs. Stalin said the state’s Archaeology Department has established through chronometric dating that smelting technology to extract iron from ore was first introduced in the Tamil landscape. “This is a pride for the Tamil race, Tamil Nadu and the Tamil landscape,” the CM said. 3 5 4 2 1 1 Swords Current global consensus regarding Iron metal production from ore is believed to Sites have begun in the mid-2nd millennium BCE. and Iron Age is so far believed to have started samples in Anatolia and the Caucasus around late sent 2nd millennium BCE (~1300 BCE), with the transition occurring in the Ancient Near East Sivagalai during the 12th century BCE (1200–1100 BCE) (Thoothukudi): Charcoal samples collected from urn burials with iron objects in the habitation mound called Valappalanpillai-thiradu. Three samples have been dated to 2953 BCE, 3259 BCE and 3345 BCE 2 Anchor hook Adichanallur (Tirunelveli): Samples associated with an iron object were dated to 2517-2513 BCE 3 Mayiladumparai (Krishnagiri): Samples of iron objects dated to 2172 BCE Iron objects Iron age 4 Mangadu (Thelunganur) in Salem: Iron sword dating back to 1263 BCE found 5 Kilnamandi (Tiruvannamalai): Age of iron objects found in the site falls between 1769 BCE and 1615 BCE Iron Age period in various regions 900 800 BCE in BCE in China 600 BCE in 500 BCE in Central Northern Northern and Europe Scandinavian Western Europe Europe What do the new findings in TN say? Samples discovered from various archaeological sites in Tamil Nadu, which were sent for dating, have revealed that iron objects found here dated to 3345 BCE and 2172 BCE. This pushes the current Iron Age period back by at least around two millennia Where were the samples tested? Iron sword Birbal Sahani Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow; Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad & Beta Analytic, Florida, USA Graves express read I C Balakrishnan questioned for 4 hours Kalpetta: The SIT probing the December 27 suicide of Wayanad DCC treasurer N M Vijayan questioned Sulthan Bathery MLA I C Balakrishnan for nearly four hours on Thursday. The questioning began at the district headquarters camp in Puthurvayal, Kalpetta around 10.30am and continued till 3pm. The MLA will be interrogated on Friday as well. Hefty ‘environmental damages’ imposed T’Puram: Following NGT’s intervention, the state pollution control board has imposed a hefty ‘environmental compensation’ on multiple violators for dumping medical waste illegally in TN. Sources said Sunage Ecosystems Pvt Ltd, the service provider, has been slapped with Rs 44.55 lakh in damages. One of the key waste generators, Leela Kovalam, has been ordered to compensate Rs 51 lakh. P7 Arial view of Iron Age graves at Mayiladumparai two breweries were started under the UDF government,” Pinarayi said. “Were any of those investment proposals accepted through a tendering process. How can investment proposals be sanctioned through tendering?” the CM asked. Pinarayi said the Palakkad project has an investment of `600 crore. “It will create 650 direct and 2,000 indirect job opportunities. No waste will be discharged out of the unit. A 6 MW power generation unit is also part of the project. Water supply to the park will be from the Kerala Water Authority’s pipeline to the KINFRA park. This pipeline — supplying 8 lakh litres to the park — was installed during the UDF government’s tenure,” Pinarayi said. “In 2024, 39.55 crore litres of ENA and ethanol were brought to Kerala from other states,” he ● More on P4 said. T’gana seals mega deals at WEF; AWS to invest `60,000 cr MA N DA RAVI N D E R R E DDY @ Hyderabad the Telangana government’s delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos secured investment commitments to the tune of `1,78,950 crore, which could create nearly 50,000 jobs in the state. Telegana’s delegation, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, signed MoUs with several firms, the biggest of which came from Amazon Web Services (AWS). It would invest `60,000 crore in Telangana to expand data centres. The other investments include `45,500 crore from Sun Petrochemicals and `15,000 crore each from Tillman Global Holdings and Megha Engineering. Among software companies, HCLTech proposed to create 5,000 jobs, while Infosys said it would accommodate 10,000 employees in its upcoming new campus at Pocharam in Hyderabad and would ramp up the workforce by 7,000 more later. Another IT giant, Wipro, unveiled its plans to add 5,000 jobs in the state. Data centres were a major focus area, yielding rich dividends for Telangana. Amazon, ‘China Plus One’ In his presentation at WEF, Reddy said the state will build on its core strenths and expand in new areas. He said with supply chain disruptions necessitating alternatives to China, the state seeks to establish itself as a proactive ‘China Plus One’ destination Tillman, Usra, CtrlS and Sify announced plans for new facilities and expansions. The state also achieved breakthroughs in cuttingedge sectors such as solar cell manuf acturing, rocket manufacturing, aircraft interior design and UAV production. Defence investments by the Jindal group was another feather in the state’s cap. The state delegation also managed to secure investments in private industrial parks, with the Ramky Group offering to invest in integrated industrial parks, a dry port, and townships. The MTS Group also committed significant investments in the state. Unilever proposed to set up two manufacturing units. A Mumbai court convicted filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and sentenced him to three months of simple imprisonment in a seven-year-old cheque bounce case. A company Shree, represent, ed by Maheshchandra Mishra, had filed a case against Ram Gopal Varma’s firm under Section 138 of the Negotiable Instruments Act in 2018. The Andheri Magistrate Court on Tuesday found Varma guilty . Varma was directed to pay a compensation of `3.72 lakh to the complainant within three months, failing which he will face another three months of imprisonment. The filmmaker has faced financial troubles in recent years, which was exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic when he had to sell his office. As Varma was Notices to Ola, Uber over price disparity E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi The Centre has issued notices to Ola and Uber over complaints that they were charging different prices from customers depending on whether the booking was from an iPhone or an Android smartphone. The notices were issued by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), a regulatory body under the Union consumer affairs ministry . “As a follow-up to the earlier observation of apparent differential pricing based on the different models of mobiles (iPhones/ Android) being used, Department of Consumer Affairs through the CCPA, has issued notices to major cab aggregators Ola and Uber, seeking their responses,” said Prakhar Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution & New and Renewable Energy, on social media platform X. When contacted, the Uber spokesperson said the platform does not set prices based on the operating system of the consumer’s phone. “We look forward to working with the Central Consumer Protection Authority to clear up any misunderstanding.” Ola is yet to comment. The development comes after a large number of consumers pointed out that the ride-hailing apps were showing higher prices on iPhones compared to Android smartphones. The Centre has also sent a notice to Apple to respond to the technical issues reported by iPhone users after a recent software update. A survey revealed that 60% of iPhone users experienced service problems, with call failures being the most significant issue. Nearly 90% of surveyed iPhone users attributed their difficulties directly to an iOS update. Air Kerala to focus on intercity connectivity within the state K r i s h n a K u m a r K E @Kochi Final nod awaited In what may provide cheaper flying options for travel between major cities in the state, Air Kerala, one of the two new airlines expected to start commercial operations by the middle of this year, plans to focus on providing intercity connectivity within the state, while also operating to major South Indian destinations.  A delegation led by Dubaibased Malayali entrepreneurs — Afi Ahmed, chairman of parent company ZettFly Aviation, vice-chairman Ayub Kallada, chief executive officer Harish Kutty and Shamon Pat, Air Kerala and Alhind Air are expected to start commercial operations by middle of this year Both have received operational permit from MoCA and are awaiting the final nod — Air Operator Certificate from DGCA — to start operating commercial services. tavathukal, head of ground operations, — on Tuesday called on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who promised full support of the state government for the new venture.  RGV gets 3 months in jail in cheque bounce case S u d h i r S u r ya w a n s h i @ Mumbai Apple glitch absent during the proceedings, the court issued a non-bailable warrant for his arrest, instructing the concerned police station to execute the sentence. The court said since Varma had not spent any time in custody during the trial, there was no provision for a setoff for him under Section 428 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. For his part, Varma took to social media, stating that the case relates to a cheque of `2,38,000 from a former employee. He emphasised that his legal team is addressing the matter, adding he didn’t want to make any further comment. Known for his blockbusters such as Rangeela, Satya, Company, Bhoot, Sarkar and Kaun, Ram Gopal Varma is a significant figure in the Indian film industry In June 2022, he was . granted bail after furnishing a personal bond and cash security of `5,000. “While noting that the state will have its own airline, the chief minister emphasised on connecting airports such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Kannur. We promised to focus on operating intercity flights, before operating to major domestic destinations in South India. While Kochi will be the airline’s headquarters, we will also operate from Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur airports. Once we get the final nod, we will have offices in all these airports,” Afi Ahmed told TNIE over phone. Currently, the airline’s head office is lo● More on P4 cated in Aluva.  Maruti cars to cost more from February 1 Maruti Suzuki India will hike prices by up to I32,500 across various models from February 1 to partially offset the rise in input cost. “We are constrained to pass on some of the increased expenses to the market,” it said in a statement | P12