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In the early Bronze Age, a piece of bread was buried beneath the threshold of a newly built house in what is today central Turkey.

Now, more than 5,000 years later, archaeologists have unearthed it, and helped a local bakery to recreate the recipe — with customers lining up to buy it.

Round and flat like a pancake, 12 centimetres (five inches) in diameter, the bread was discovered during excavations at Kulluoba, a site near the central Anatolian city of Eskisehir.

“This is the oldest baked bread to have come to light during an excavation, and it has largely been able to preserve its shape,” said Murat Turkteki, archaeologist and director of the excavation.

“Bread is a rare find during an excavation. Usually, you only find crumbs,” he told AFP.

“But here, it was preserved because it had been burnt and buried,” he said.

The bread was charred and buried under the entrance of a dwelling built around 3,300 BC.

A piece had been torn off, before the bread was burnt, then buried when the house was built.

“It makes us think of a ritual of abundance,” Mr Turkteki said.Unearthed in September 2024, the charred bread has been on display at the Eskisehir Archaeological Museum since Wednesday.

“We were very moved by this discovery. Talking to our excavation director, I wondered if we could reproduce this bread,” said the city’s mayor, Ayse Unluce.

Analyses showed that the bread was made with coarsely ground emmer flour, an ancient variety of wheat, and lentil seeds, with the leaf of an as yet undetermined plant used as yeast.To get as close as possible to the original recipe, the municipality, after analysing the ancient bread, decided to use Kavilca wheat, a variety that is close to ancient emmer, as well as bulgur and lentils.

At the Halk Ekmek bakery (meaning “People’s Bread” in Turkish), promoted by the municipality to offer low-cost bread, employees have been shaping 300 loaves of Kulluoba by hand every day.

“The combination of ancestral wheat flour, lentils and bulgur results in a rich, satiating, low-gluten, preservative-free bread,” said Serap Guler, the bakery’s manager.

The first Kulluoba loaves, marketed as 300-gramme (11-ounce) cakes that cost 50 Turkish lira (around $1.28), sold out within hours.

“I rushed because I was afraid there wouldn’t be any left. I’m curious about the taste of this ancient bread,” said customer Suzan Kuru.In the absence of written traces, the civilisation of Kulluoba remains largely mysterious.

In the Bronze Age, the Hattians, an Anatolian people who preceded the Hittites, lived in the Eskisehir region.

“Kulluoba was a medium-sized urban agglomeration engaged in commercial activities, crafts, agriculture and mining. There was clearly a certain family and social order,” said archaeologist Deniz Sari.

The rediscovery of the bread has sparked interest in the cultivation of ancient wheats better adapted to drought.

Once rich in water sources, the province of Eskisehir is today suffering from drought.

“We’re facing a climate crisis, but we’re still growing corn and sunflowers, which require a lot of water,” said Mrs Unluce, the local mayor.

“Our ancestors are teaching us a lesson. Like them, we should be moving towards less thirsty crops,” she added.

In the heart of San Francisco, a city long celebrated for its progressive ethos and vibrant arts scene, a new controversy has erupted over a towering 45-foot-tall statue of a naked woman, titled R-Evolution. The 32,000-pound sculpture, installed in a bustling public plaza, has ignited debate, with some internet users decrying it as “obscene” and others defending it as a bold artistic statement.

As per the Sun, R-Evolution, a massive steel sculpture depicting a nude female figure with outstretched arms, was first unveiled at the 2015 Burning Man festival. Created by artist Marco Cochrane, the statue was intended to celebrate female empowerment and vulnerability, challenging societal norms around the human body. After plans to install it in New York’s Union Square fell through due to its weight, the sculpture found a home in San Francisco’s Civic Centre Plaza, a prominent public space near City Hall.The installation, reportedly placed without public input, has rekindled discussions about art and public space. The artist and supporters argue that R-Evolution embodies San Francisco’s spirit of openness and inclusivity. “The installation is meant to reflect the city’s ethos of bringing people together, activating public space, and reinforcing the power of art to spark conversation,” a spokesperson for the project stated.

Art advocates, including members of San Francisco’s arts community, have praised the sculpture for challenging societal taboos around nudity and femininity. “Art is supposed to provoke, to make us uncomfortable, to make us think. This statue does exactly that—it forces us to confront our biases about the human body and public space,” said a local curator. 

However, the statue has drawn sharp criticism from some San Franciscans, who argue that its explicit nudity is inappropriate for a family-friendly public space. “Somebody put up a 45-foot naked lady statue in San Francisco, nobody asked for it,” one X user wrote.However, the statue has drawn sharp criticism from some San Franciscans, who argue that its explicit nudity is inappropriate for a family-friendly public space. “Somebody put up a 45-foot naked lady statue in San Francisco, nobody asked for it,” one X user wrote.

Another user quipped, “I’d rather have another $1.7 million public restroom. Y’know, something more practical.” A third said, “This isn’t about art; it’s about forcing a statement on people who didn’t sign up for it.”

Others have pointed to the lack of public consultation as a point of contention, with questions raised about how such a large and provocative installation was approved without broader input. As the debate rages on, city officials have promised to hold public forums to address concerns and discuss the statue’s future.

An Indian content creator recently recounted a harrowing hiking experience in Norway with his wife and shared how local volunteers came to their rescue. In a long Instagram post, Akash Banerjee revealed that he and his wife were hiking to Preikestolen, popularly known as Pulpit Rock, near the city of Stavanger. They reached the viewpoint successfully and enjoyed the picturesque view. However, on their descent, their journey took an unexpected, dangerous turn when Mr Banerjee’s wife, Nidhi, slipped on the wet trail and sprained or possibly fractured her ankle. “About 4 kilometres from civilisation, biting cold winds, rain fast approaching and unable to move – I was at my wits end on what to do next,” he recalled. 

Mr Banerjee shared that after being encouraged by fellow hikers, he called Norway’s emergency number, 113, “with a lot of scepticism”. However, what happened next restored his faith in humanity. “Within minutes, the responders had used my phone to pin my location and assured me help was on the way,” he said. “In less than an hour, an army of mountain rescuers – accompanied by doctors – were with us,” he shared. 

The rescue team, part of Norwegian People’s Aid (Norsk Folkehjelp), quickly examined his wife’s injuries and carried her down to base camp on a portable stretcher. “They examined Nidhi – put her leg in a vacuum bag – opened up a portable stretcher – and 6 super-humans carted Nidhi all the way to the base camp. All with a smile,” he shared. 

The couple was concerned about the cost of such a rescue, but this was also eased after he learned that the team was volunteers offering their expertise for free. “These rescuers were not part of any paid / professional team that was at the park / trail – they were normal working Norwegians who just land up to help when the need arises,” he wrote.

“For a nation that spends so much time in rain / darkness – I came to understand why Norway is one of the happiest nations on the planet. I am at a loss of words – but I am deeply thankful & in awe of Norwegians & Norwegian People’s Aid,” he added. 

“I don’t believe in angels and fairies – but I encountered them myself in Norway. Still shaking my head in disbelief – and relief – that angels do exist,” Mr Banerjee said. 

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Since being shared, the post has garnered more than 33,000 likes. In the comments section, users praised the Norwegian volunteers. 

“Beautiful country. Lovely, helpful people. So glad you got all the assistance you needed and more,” wrote one user. 

“Humanity at its best. They don’t get penalised for leaving their work and going for rescue or doing community work. Encouraged and built into social structure, a lesson for world at large. Good to know you guys are safe. And many blessings to these angels indeed,” commented another. 

“I live in Norway and i can attest to every word said here…Civic sense and prioritising your fellow citizens is at its peak in Norway…Thats how Norwegians show their patriotism not by hating a particular sect of people in your country,” wrote a third user. 

During his two-day visit to Singapore, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong went to Lau Pa Sat, the iconic hawker centre.

French President Emmanuel Macron had the chance to sample Singapore’s famous hawker and street food culture recently. As part of his maiden state visit to the country, the President accompanied Prime Minister Lawrence Wong Lau to Pa Sat, the iconic hawker centre. In a video shared by the Singapore PM, both of them can be seen walking through this locality. They greeted vendors and people around them, and also stopped to taste some of the local delicacies. In one part of the video, Macron and Wong try what look to be soup dumplings served by a particular hawker. “How do you find the taste?’ Macron is asked. He replies that it’s “very good.”

After their street food adventure, they had dinner at The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore, as shown in the same video posted by PM Wong. Part of the caption reads, “We began with a visit to Lau Pa Sat to experience Singapore’s vibrant hawker culture and local flavours. Over dinner, we had a wide-ranging and fruitful discussion on global and regional developments.”

Lau Pa Sat, literally meaning “Old Market,” is also known as Telok Ayer Market. It was rebuilt in its present location in the downtown core area in 1894. It is one of the most famous cultural landmarks in the city, and it has significantly evolved over the years. The Victorian-era architecture of the building is quite distinctive, featuring structures made of cast iron. Today, Lau Pa Sat is mainly known for its food hawkers. It houses numerous stalls selling various kinds of local Singaporean delicacies and other street-style favourites, including dishes like satay, chicken rice and char kway teow. One of the most popular attractions here is “Satay Street. Boon Tat Street is closed to traffic from 7 pm onwards. The place is then opened for people to dine al-fresco and relish the satay treats grilled on open flames by many vendors.

After the Pahalgam terror attack, people of Kashmir carried protests against Pakistan, sending a message of unity, said DMK MP Kanimozhi.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi on Friday (local time), who is leading an all-party delegation to Latvia, emphasised India’s unity following the Pahalgam terror attack and said that “nothing is going to divide us anymore.”

Interacting with the Indian community in Latvia, Kanimozhi said, “When our Indian tourists were attacked and we lost 26 innocent lives in front of their families, loved ones, children and with a message – Go tell your Prime Minister, go tell your country people that we asked you what your faith is. They hope to divide us as a country. They hope to divide us on our beliefs. But when the people of Kashmir came out to the streets to protest against Pakistan as Indians and stood together, the message was very clear that nothing is going to divide us anymore.”

Meanwhile, Former Indian Ambassador to the European Union Manjeev Singh Puri, speaking about the delegation’s earlier meeting with the Latvian parliamentarians, said, “We met the parliamentarians who were very strong and good and were very clear that terrorism has no place in their thinking and has no place… Latvia is likely to be elected to the Security Council and will be there next year. They had a number of people who were in this area of focusing on global issues, and we had a very strong discussion on how it was important for the world to be focused on this.”

“They also recognise something which I find very interesting, that India is a country with great equities, and all countries want to strengthen and build more relations with India, and that’s something which is really very nice because it’s a very clear sign that India is a country of interest to people,” he added.

Earlier, Kanimozhi lauded the Indian community for their unity and support during a community event in Riga that featured the screening of a short film on Operation Sindoor.

Describing the film as a moving tribute to the Indian Armed Forces, Kanimozhi said the event reaffirmed the enduring bond between the community and their homeland.

“It was a very heartwarming experience to see the Indian community and especially the film they had screened about Operation Sindoor. It was a tribute to the Indian army and military and for the great sacrifices they’ve done to protect our country,” said Kanimozhi. “To see so many Indians come together and to say that we stand with India… it was a very moving experience.”

The delegation, led by DMK MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, includes Rajeev Rai (Samajwadi Party), Mian Altaf Ahmad (Jammu and Kashmir National Conference), Brijesh Chowta (BJP), Prem Chand Gupta (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Ashok Kumar Mittal (Aam Aadmi Party), and Former envoys Manjeev S Puri and Jawed Ashraf.

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