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Jumbo Drop in Estimates of India Elephant Population

India is home to the majority of the world's remaining wild Asian elephants, like this herd bathing in Assam - AFP
India is home to the majority of the world's remaining wild Asian elephants, like this herd bathing in Assam - AFP
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Jumbo Drop in Estimates of India Elephant Population

India is home to the majority of the world's remaining wild Asian elephants, like this herd bathing in Assam - AFP
India is home to the majority of the world's remaining wild Asian elephants, like this herd bathing in Assam - AFP

India's wild elephant population estimates have dropped sharply by a quarter, a government survey incorporating a new DNA system has found, marking the most accurate but sobering count yet.

India is home to the majority of the world's remaining wild Asian elephants, a species listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and increasingly threatened by shrinking habitat, AFP reported.

The Wildlife Institute of India's new All-India Elephant Estimation report released this week puts the wild elephant population at 22,446 -- down from nearly 29,964 estimated in 2017, a fall of 25 percent.

The survey drew on genetic analysis of more than 21,000 dung samples, alongside a vast network of camera traps and 667,000 kilometres (414,400 miles) of foot surveys.

But researchers said the methodological overhaul meant the results were "not comparable to past figures and may be treated as a new monitoring baseline".

 

- 'Gentle giants' -

 

But the report also warned that the figures reflect deepening pressures on one of India's most iconic animals.

"The present distribution of elephants in India represents a mere fraction of their historical range," it said, estimating they now occupy only about 3.5 percent of the area they once roamed.

Habitat loss, fragmentation, and increasing human-elephant conflict are driving the decline.

"Electrocution and railway collisions cause a significant number of elephant fatalities, while mining and highway construction disrupt habitats, intensifying man-wildlife conflicts," the report added.

The Western Ghats, lush southern highlands stretching through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, remain a key stronghold with nearly 12,00 elephants.

But even there, populations are increasingly cut off from one another by commercial plantations, farmland fencing, and human encroachment.

Another major population centre lies in India's northeast, including Assam and the Brahmaputra floodplains, which host more than 6,500 elephants.

"Strengthening corridors and connectivity, restoring habitat, improving protection, and mitigating the impact of development projects are the need of the hour to ensure the well-being of these gentle giants," the report said.

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Varieties

Australian Bushfires Raze Homes in Two States; Firefighter Dies 

Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
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Australian Bushfires Raze Homes in Two States; Firefighter Dies 

Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)
Ruins of buildings and a car smolder after a wildfire destroyed houses in Koolewong, Australia, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP Image via AP)

An Australian firefighter was killed overnight after he was struck by a tree while trying to control a bushfire that had destroyed homes and burnt large swathes of bushland north of Sydney, authorities said on Monday.

Emergency crews rushed to bushland near the rural town of Bulahdelah, 200 km (124 miles) north of Sydney, after reports that a tree had fallen on a man. The 59-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and died at the scene, officials said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the "terrible news is a somber reminder" of the dangers faced by emergency services personnel as they work to protect homes and families.

"We honor that bravery, every day," Albanese said in a statement.

A fast-moving fire over the weekend destroyed 16 homes in New South Wales state's Central Coast region, home to about 350,000 people and a commuter region just north of Sydney.

Resident Rouchelle Doust, from the hard-hit town of Koolewong, said she and her husband tried to save their home as flames advanced.

"He's up there in his bare feet trying to put it out, and he's trying and trying, and I'm screaming at him to come down," Doust told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"Everything's in it: his grandmother's stuff, his mother's stuff, all my stuff - everything, it's all gone, the whole lot."

Conditions eased overnight, allowing officials to downgrade fire danger alerts, though the weather bureau warned some inland towns in the state could hit more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, raising fire dangers.

More than 50 bushfires were burning across New South Wales as of Monday.

On the island state of Tasmania, a 700-hectare (1,729 acres) blaze at Dolphin Sands, about 150 km (93 miles) northeast of the state capital of Hobart, destroyed 19 homes and damaged 40. The fire has been contained, but residents have been warned not to return as conditions remain dangerous, officials said.

Authorities have warned of a high-risk bushfire season during Australia's summer months from December to February, with increased chances of extreme heat across large parts of the country following several relatively quiet years.

In neighboring New Zealand, five helicopters and multiple crews were working to put out a fire near the country's oldest national park, a month after a wildfire burnt through 2,589 hectares (6,400 acres) of alpine bush there.

Police said they had closed a road near the state highway and advised motorists to avoid the area and expect delays after the blaze near Tongariro National Park, a popular hiking spot, spread to 110 hectares (272 acres) by Monday afternoon.

Varieties

Queen Elizabeth II to Appear on New Commemorative Coin

Queen Elizabeth II gold coins (Shutterstock) 
Queen Elizabeth II gold coins (Shutterstock) 
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Queen Elizabeth II to Appear on New Commemorative Coin

Queen Elizabeth II gold coins (Shutterstock) 
Queen Elizabeth II gold coins (Shutterstock) 

Many British know Queen Elizabeth II’s profile better than the back of their own hands. After all, her image has stared back at us from the hundreds of coins jangling around our pockets for decades.

But in the year marking what would have been her 100th birthday, a royal revelation is emerging. Or rather, an old one that never got its moment in the spotlight, according to London’s Metro newspaper.

A portrait of the late Queen, sculpted almost forty years ago and then quietly tucked away, is finally being released to the public for the very first time from The London Mint Office, which has secured the rights to unveil this long-hidden likeness in an exclusive collector’s coin.

Even better, the coin featuring this never before seen effigy is being offered as a free gift to the nation, with only £2.50 postage to pay.

For collectors and royal watchers, it is undoubtedly the most unexpected royal resurfacing in the recent past – a kind of numismatic archaeology.

When sculptor Raphael Maklouf created his now famous 1985 effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, he didn’t just produce the one design that graced coins from 1985 – 1997.

Several versions of the effigy were prepared, studied and refined in the long, meticulous process of creating a monarch’s official image. Some of these effigies were presented to officials, and some sketches have been referenced in numismatic circles over the years.

But one fully realized effigy – sculpted to the same level as the final chosen design – was never revealed to the public.

Instead, it remained sealed away in Maklouf’s archive. Not rejected. Not forgotten. Just quietly concealed for all this time. Until now.

2026 would have been the year that Queen Elizabeth II turned 100, making it a perfect moment for reflection, particularly on aspects of her legacy that remained unseen.

The London Mint Office’s release of this never-seen-before effigy taps directly into that sense of discovery.

For anyone who followed the Queen’s reign or simply loves an unexpected historical twist, this is one to watch. After years in the dark, Maklouf’s forgotten portrait is finally stepping into the light. And this time, it won’t be hidden away again.

Varieties

Nobel Laureates Arrive for a Week of Events and Awards in Stockholm and Oslo

The Nobel medal in physiology or medicine presented to Charles M. Rice is displayed, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, during a ceremony in New York. (AP)
The Nobel medal in physiology or medicine presented to Charles M. Rice is displayed, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, during a ceremony in New York. (AP)
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Nobel Laureates Arrive for a Week of Events and Awards in Stockholm and Oslo

The Nobel medal in physiology or medicine presented to Charles M. Rice is displayed, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, during a ceremony in New York. (AP)
The Nobel medal in physiology or medicine presented to Charles M. Rice is displayed, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, during a ceremony in New York. (AP)

Nobel week was underway in Stockholm and Oslo with laureates holding news conferences and lectures before they will be awarded the prestigious prizes.

Hungarian László Krasznahorkai, who won the Prize in literature for his surreal and anarchic novels that combine a bleak world view with mordant humor, was expected to give a lecture in Stockholm on Sunday in one of his rare public appearances.

When the Nobel judges announced the award in October, they described the 71-year-old as “a great epic writer” whose work “is characterized by absurdism and grotesque excess.”

“Krasznahorkai’s work can be seen as part of a Central European tradition," the Nobel Prize organization said. “Important features are pessimism and apocalypse, but also humor and unpredictability."

Last year’s winner was South Korean author Han Kang. The 2023 winner was Norwegian writer Jon Fosse, whose work includes a seven-book epic made up of a single sentence.

Meanwhile, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Kristian Harpviken, said Saturday that Venezuelan Peace Prize laureate and opposition leader María Corina Machado will come to Oslo this week to receive her award in person.

The 58-year-old, who won for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, has been hiding and has not been seen in public since January.

Harpviken told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK that Machado was expected to personally pick up the prize on Wednesday.

“I spoke with the Peace Prize winner last night, and she will come to Oslo,” Harpviken said, according to NRK.

Nobel Prize award ceremonies are held on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896. The award ceremony for peace is in Oslo and the other ceremonies are in Stockholm.