Morning Digest | First train chugs out of accident-hit area in Balasore after 51 hours; Under construction bridge collapses in Bihar’s Bhagalpur, and more

The first train on the section where the accident happened in Balasore started its journey on June 4, 51 hours after the horrific crash that killed 275 people.
| Photo Credit: Twitter/@AshwiniVaishnaw

First train chugs out of accident-hit area in Balasore after 51 hours

The first train on the section where the accident happened in Balasore started its journey at around 10.40 p.m. on Sunday, 51 hours after the horrific crash which killed 275 people, officials said. The goods train was seen off by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw as scores of mediapersons and railway officials looked on.

Railways yet to rectify coupler issue that detaches coaches from engine

A major safety issue, where the locomotive gets detached from the rest of the coaches due to a coupling failure, remains unattended by Indian Railways despite instructions to rectify it for over three years now, Railways sources said on June 4. The problem was flagged at a high-level meeting convened by the Chairman, Railway Board/Chief Executive Officer (CRB/CEO), a fortnight ago. 

Under construction bridge collapses in Bihar’s Bhagalpur

Part of the ₹1,717 crore under-construction Aguwani-Sultanganj bridge in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district collapsed in the Ganga River on June 4. The moment when the bridge collapsed was caught on video by locals. No casualty was reported in the incident.

Private investments to move from promise to delivery this year: CII chief

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president R. Dinesh believes there is scope for some ‘quick-win’ reforms amid this election year to spur the economy, like expanding global trade ties and facilitating investments from pension funds and insurers, while bigger changes like GST rationalisation and fixing archaic factor market laws may have to wait till beyond 2024.

‘Only 18% of looted weapons surrendered in Manipur’

A month after Manipur was engulfed in ethnic violence, only 18% of over 4,000 weapons, looted or taken away from police armouries have been surrendered with the authorities, a senior government official told The Hindu. During his four-day visit to the violence-hit State from May 29-June 1, Home Minister Amit Shah had appealed that all weapons be surrendered to the police failing which a combing operation will begin and strict action will follow against the offenders.

Opposition meet likely to be postponed

With the Congress’s top leadership expressing inability to participate In the joint Opposition meeting scheduled for June 12, according to sources the meeting is likely to be postponed to a later date. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former president Rahul Gandhi had informed Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar of their inability to participate due to “scheduling issues”. 

Saudi Arabia cuts oil output by 1 million barrels per day to boost sagging prices

Saudi Arabia said on June 4 that it will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to support the sagging cost of crude after two earlier production cuts by members of the OPEC+ alliance of major oil-producing countries failed to push prices higher. The announcement of the Saudi cuts of 1 million barrels per day, which will start in July, followed a meeting of the alliance at OPEC headquarters in Vienna.

Loco pilots of Coromandel Express battle pain and false narratives

Hazari Behera, the 36-year-old assistant loco pilot who was helming the Coromandel Express, escaped from the jaws of death when his passenger train collided with a freight train in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2. Currently admitted in the privately-run AMRI hospital in Bhubaneswar, Mr. Behera is one of more than a thousand injured patients who have received care in 21 health facilities across Odisha.

Refugee influx into Mizoram from all around and new concerns

In the last couple of years, Mizoram has seen an influx of refugees from Myanmar and recently from Bangladesh and now Manipur, adding to the internal security situation there. There is a variation in numbers from Myanmar given by the State government and security forces while there are over 8,000 from Manipur and over 900 people from Bangladesh which officials said was expected to go up further. Officials on the ground say that the influx from Bangladesh is particularly worrying with potential for smuggling of narcotics and weapons opening a new front for security forces to deal with.

Almost 80 schoolgirls poisoned, hospitalised in northern Afghanistan

Nearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at their primary schools in northern Afghanistan, a local education official said on June 4. It is thought to be the first time this kind of assault has happened since the Taliban swept to power in August 2021 and began their crackdown on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls.

Unruly passenger behaviour on rise; 1 incident reported for every 568 flights globally in 2022: IATA

One unruly passenger incident was reported for every 568 flights last year compared to one such incident per 835 flights in 2021, according to international airlines’ grouping IATA. In recent times, there has been a steep rise in unruly passenger behaviour incidents, including in India. As it released an analysis of such incidents on Sunday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also urged more states to take the necessary authority to prosecute passengers under Montreal Protocol 2014 (MP14).

Veteran actress Sulochana, who left indelible mark as on-screen mother, no more

Veteran actress and an important link with the golden age of Hindi and Marathi cinema, Sulochana Latkar, passed away in Mumbai on Sunday at 94 due to age-related complications. Hailing from Kolhapur, Sulochana made a name for herself as a leading heroine in Marathi films before moving to Bombay cinema where she essayed various shades of motherly roles in Hindi cinema for almost four decades.

Zelenskyy says Russia is evading sanctions on weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 4 said that Russia was using a network of suppliers to evade international sanctions designed to prevent it from making missiles and other weapons.