Death toll in Odisha train accident rises to 288
The toll in the Friday evening train accident at Bahanaga Bazar railway station of Odisha’s Balasore district rose sharply to 288 on Saturday, while 1,091 injured persons have been provided medical assistance. Of the injured, 56 were stated to be grievously wounded.
CAG’s 2022 report on ‘Derailments in Indian Railways’ flagged multiple shortcomings
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), in its 2022 report on “Derailments in Indian Railways”, had flagged multiple shortcomings and made several recommendations, which included the suggestion to ensure strict adherence to the scheduled timelines for conducting and finalising accident inquiries.
Normalcy returning in Manipur, peace efforts on: security adviser
The deployment of a large contingent of Central armed forces and a call for peace by Union Home Minister Amit Shah has led to a reduction in the intensity of violence in Manipur in the past few days, though incidents have not completely stopped. Clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities have claimed 100 lives and displaced 35,000 so far.
DeSantis, Pence and other GOP 2024 hopefuls, but not Trump, set to appear at Iowa rally
Eight Republican presidential hopefuls are in Iowa on Saturday to attend a political event hosted by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are among those scheduled to appear at a rally at the state fairgrounds near Des Moines.
‘There are things bigger than politics when you step outside the country’: EAM Jaishankar
There are sometimes “things bigger than politics” when one steps outside the country, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on June 3, days after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government during his ongoing U.S. visit.
Probe to examine whether the Coromandel Express derailed or switched tracks
The Ministry of Railways has launched a high-level inquiry into the tragic train accident that occurred in Balasore district of Odisha, which has claimed 288 lives and left 803 injured. The Railways is probing as to whether the Coromandel Express changed tracks and why it may have done, the official added.
F1 2023 | Max Verstappen on pole for Spanish Grand Prix
Red Bull’s championship leader Max Verstappen produced a mighty qualifying lap to take pole position for the Spanish Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz joining him on the front row. Verstappen was nearly half a second clear of the Spaniard and so good was his first lap in the final phase that he aborted the second once it became clear nobody else was going to beat him.
Condolences pour in from global leaders on Odisha rail disaster
A number of global leaders — including the Chinese President and Premier, the President of France, and the Prime Ministers of Japan and the United Kingdom — have expressed their condolences regarding the rail accident in Odisha that has left more than 280 people dead. In a message on social media, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also expressed their condolences.
Amarnath yatra’s twin tracks to be widened with railings: BRO
The arduous Amarnath yatra routes, sometimes going up to an altitude of 13,000 feet through the picturesque tourist spots of Pahalgam and Sonamarg, will be widened with railings this year by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Baby Ariha Shah’s repatriation | 59 MPs from 19 parties write to German envoy
In an unusual display of unity, 59 parliamentarians belonging to 19 political parties have written to the German Ambassador to India Philipp Ackermann, seeking repatriation of Ariha Shah, a two-year-old girl who has been in German foster care since September 2021. A diplomatic spat has broken out between Delhi and Berlin as the government countered claims in Germany that they had tried to identify an Indian family to take care of the child pending a court verdict.
Howrah-Chennai line has no Kavach system yet
Kavach — the state-of-the-art indigenously developed automatic train protection system (ATPS) project — has not been implemented yet on the Howrah-Chennai line passing through at least four railway zones, although South Central Railway (SCR) has become pioneer in implementation of the much needed system over the last two years.
