THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l saturday l june 03, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION PM Modi to address U.S. Congress joint session for the second time On June 22, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share his vision of India’s future and speak on the global challenges facing the two countries Rare honour for Indian prime minister bIDEN TO HOST Modi FOR STATE DINNER Ex-British PM Winston Churchill and South African prez Nelson Mandela are among the few who were accorded this rare honour on two occasions. Earlier, Modi had addressed a joint session in June 2016. Ex-PM Manmohan Singh had addressed the joint session on July 19, 2005, Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sept 14, 2000, Narasimha Rao on May 18, 1994 and Rajiv Gandhi on July 13, 1985 ■ The invitation to Modi was issued by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries ■ US President Joe Biden will host Prime Minister Modi for an Official State visit to the US, which will include a state dinner on June 22 Dec 10, 1824 When The tradition of foreign leaders addressing the u.s. Congress began 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 Over 30 killed in Odisha train collision Coromandel Express derails, rammed by B’luru-Howrah Express train coming from opposite direction Toll likely to go up as rescue teams find evacuation extremely difficult with many crushed under coaches Oppn cross as panel backs sedition law S h r u t i K a kk a r @ New Delhi Hemant Kumar Rout as it happened @ Bhubaneswar Over 30 passengers are believed to have died and hundreds injured in one of the most horrific railway accidents when the Coromandel Superfast Express derailed and was rammed by an express train coming from opposite direction at Bahanaga railway station in Balasore district on Friday . The accident took place around 7pm after the HowrahChennai Coromandel Superfast Express reportedly derailed and its coaches landed on a parallel track. The capsized coaches were then rammed by Bengaluru-Howrah Express at Bahanaga, about 180 km from here. Bahanaga station comes under Bhadrak section of the South Eastern Railway . Under impact of the collision, at least 15 coaches of Coromandel Express went into a tailspin and capsized. The casualties could well rise as rescue and relief teams found evacuation extremely difficult with passengers crushed under the capsized coaches. The train which bore the brunt of the impact has a passenger capacity of 1,516. Going by preliminary reports, the toll 3.20pm: Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Express leaves Howrah station 6.30pm: Train reaches Balasore. Halts for about 5 minutes 6.50pm: It crosses Panapana station 7pm: Coromandel Express on Up line derails. Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express moving on Down line hits the capsized coaches of Coromandel Express 2 coaches of BengaluruHowrah Superfast Express go off track Rescue work on at the accident site in Odisha’s Balasore district on Friday | Express could go well beyond 30. Another source said the number may reach 50. The Odisha government and Indian Railways mounted a massive rescue operation but found it challenging to move the injured from the site to different hospitals in Balasore given the rising number of injured passengers. Railway sources said the Coromandel on the Up track derailed and its capsized coaches fell on the Down line. This is when the Bengaluru-Howrah Express ran right into it on the Down line. At least 12 coaches of the Coromandel Express jumped off the track in the impact. Two coaches of the other train also were derailed. As news of the accident spread, hundreds of locals rushed to the spot to rescue the passengers. Sources said more than 300 injured passengers have so far been rescued and over 300 are still trapped. The state government deput- ed DG fire services Sudhanshu Sarangi to monitor rescue operations. Four teams of the Odisha disaster rapid action force (ODRAF) and four teams of national disaster response force (NDRF) teams have been sent for rescue operations. Balasore collector Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde has been directed to make all necessary arrangements. The injured passengers have been admitted to Soro CHC, Gopalpur CHC and Khantapada PHC. Sevenfold spike in microplastic pollution on Kerala coast post 2018 flood, says study E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @Kozhikode There has been a sevenfold increase in the concentration of microplastics in the surface waters of the Kerala coast, post the devastating 2018 flood, a study by researchers of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) and the National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC) has found. The study assessed microplastic pollution along the 300km stretch from Kozhikode to Kollam, and compared it with data prior to the deluge. “Microplastic pollution was found to be highest off Kochi, followed by Kozhikode and Kollam. Microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 mm size that are rapidly accumulating in the marine environment. They Monsoon likely to keep June 4 date with state E x p r e ss N e ws S e r v i c e @T’Puram The southwest monsoon has advanced and is likely to reach the state around June 4 as announced by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The monsoon has already made its way to Lakshadwee p, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. While the conditions remain f avourable, exper ts are observing a developing cyclonic system in the sea as it could affect the onset. The recent pick-up in rainfall has raised hopes of monsoon onset as per schedule. The IMD sounded yellow alerts for Ernakulam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta on Saturday, while extending the same to Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Kottayam on Sunday . The monsoon onset has been slightly delayed this year. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express What are microplastics? Plastic particles less than 5mm in size The main type of microplastic found is fibre. Synthetic textiles, fishing nets and ropes are major sources of fibre in marine environment are a cause for concern because of their widespread presence in the oceans and the potential physical and toxicological risks they pose to aquatic organisms, said Kufos’ Nikhil V G, lead researcher. How are these dangerous? Widespread presence of microplastics in oceans and the potential physical and toxicological risks these pose to aquatic organisms are a cause for concern These can reduce marine productivity Once these chemicals reach food web, it can Microplastics are known bio-accumulate in to be carriers of toxic higher life forms, chemicals, including heavy including metals to organisms human beings The study found that the concentration of microplastic along Kerala coast was highest during pre-monsoon season. The main type of microplastic found is fibre, with an elongated thread-like structure.  ● More on P4 Since 1985 15 coaches of Coromandel Express capsize in impact of collision Prez, PM express grief President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the train accident. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced ex gratia of D10 lakh to the kin of the deceased Appalled at the Law Commission of India recommending the retention of the colonial sedition law, the Opposition on Friday charged that the government wants to use its report to make it more draconian. The panel recommended amending the law to enhance the prison term for offenders from three years to seven years, and incorporating a clause on the “tendency to incite violence” or causing public disorder, citing a Supreme Court verdict in the Kedar Nath case. The tendency to incite violence would mean “mere inclination to incite violence or cause public order rather than proof of actual violence or imminent threat to violence”, which would make the law more draconian. In his pushback, Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the recommendations were persuasive but not binding, adding the final call would be taken only after consulting all the stakeholders. The report said the sedition law is the tradition- al penal mechanism to safeguard the unity and integrity of the country, adding it seeks to prevent violent, illegal, and unconstitutional overthrow of a democratically elected government. The Commission headed by former Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, in its report, said merely being a colonial legacy cannot be a valid ground for the repeal of Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC. It went on to claim that the law is a reasonable restriction on the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. The report said re pealing Section 124A merely because certain countries have done so would essentially mean turning a blind eye to ground realities in India. The Law Commission recommended the Centre to issue model guidelines to curb misuse of Section 124A. Alter natively, it suggested amending Section 154 of the CrPC to the effect that an FIR under Section 124A would be registered only after a police officer, not below the rank of Inspector, conducts a preliminary inquiry .