Covid cases creep up, experts say no worry One case of the newly emerging COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1 and four instances of LF.7 type were detected in India, according to INSACOG data. Delhi recorded 23 new cases, Thane 10, AP recorded four in the last 24 hours, Telangana confirmed one. In Bengaluru, a 84-year-old with comorbidities, who also had Covid, died Kozhikode l Sunday l may 25, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l city edition 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 Vessel lists off Kochi, coast on oil-spill alert Modi chants Centre-state unity mantra to achieve Viksit goal Liberian-flagged ship carrying marine fuel; 21 crew members rescued Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday urged all states to develop at least one tourist destination at par with global standards by providing the full range of facilities, including infrastructure, while addressing the Gover ning Council of NITI Aayog. Giving special emphasis to tourism, he said, ‘One State, One Global Destination’, would lead to the development of neighbouring towns as well as tourist places. Chairing the 10th edition of the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting, Modi said if the Union government and states work together like Team India, no goal is impossible to achieve. He urged all chief ministers to make the spirit of solidarity trickle down to the district and village levels. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kochi A container vessel reportedly carrying inflammable and toxic cargo listed off Kochi on Saturday afternoon posing the threat of environmental pollution and oil spill along Kerala’s coast. According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority the Coast Guard has issued , a possible oil-spill alert after some containers fell off Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Elsa 3, a container vessel which was on its way to Cochin Port. The vessel is transporting very low sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO), a marine fuel. According to the Coast Guard, MSC Elsa 3, a Liberiaflagged vessel which departed from Vizhinjam port on Friday , reported listing at approximately 38 nautical miles off the Kochi coast. As per the alert, the vessel has developed a list of 26 degrees, endangering the lives of those on board as well as posing potential environmental risk. The ship is currently in danger of sinking and the Indian Coast Guard is coordinating rescue operations. It has diverted two ships to the area, while the Navy has rushed another vessel. According to authorities, a Dornier aircraft has been deployed for monitoring and airdropping life rafts to crew members of the ship. “We have rescued 21 crew MSC Elsa 3, the container vessel that started listing around 38 nautical miles off the Kochi coast on Saturday | Express members. Three others, the captain, chief engineer and second engineer are on board to facilitate planned salvage operations. Some containers have fallen into the sea and we are in the process of risk assessment. All efforts are being made to maintain stability of the vessel,” said a Coast Guard officer. Among the crew members, the master is a Russian citizen and 20 are of Filipino origin. Two are from Ukraine and one is from Georgia. “The Coast Guard has deployed fast-patrol vessel ICGS Arnvesh, offshore-patrol vessel ICGS Saksham and a Dornier aircraft for rescue operations. The Navy has diverted Sukanya-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) INS Sujata to the area,” a defence spokesperson said. The 184m-long vessel with a 25.30m beam was built in 1997 and has a gross tonnage of 16,799 tonnes. The ship, which set sail from Thoothukudi on May 18 docked at Vizhinjam harbour on May 21. It departed from Vizhinjam on May 23 and was expected to reach Cochin Port by 10 am on Saturday The . MSC management sounded an emergency to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai which alerted the Coast Guard at 1.25 pm on Saturday . “The Directorate General of Shipping, in coordination with the Coast Guard, has issued directives to the ship managers for providing urgent salvage services. The developing situation is being monitored by the Coast Guard to prevent loss of life and damage to the environment, a senior officer said.  P5 M U K E S H R A N J A N @ New Delhi 31 states/UTs participated The meeting was attended by CMs and Lt Governors representing 24 states and 7 UTs, out of a total of 36. There was no-show from Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and Pondy, Niti Aayog CEO B V R Subrahmanyam said Noting that India collectively should work in a manner so as to bring change in the lives of common people, Modi said, “Only when people feel the change, it will transform into a national movement.” Modi also sought to expedite the pace of development. “We have to increase the speed of development,” he added. “This is the century of technology and it should be inte- Touch of hinterland as Gill set to lead Test team F i r o z M i r z a @ Chennai Shubman Gill, the first India Test captain from Punjab since Bishan Singh Bedi (1976-78), will usher Indian cricket into a new era. With the England tour, Gill, who doesn’t hail from a cricketing power centre, is set to lead a squad of 18 mostly comprising players like him. Among the players for the five-Test series starting June 20, only five were born in metro cities like Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, considered hubs P7 & 11 of Indian cricket.  grated in every field from governance to agriculture,” he said, adding: “Atmanirbhar Bharat and Vocal for Local are the strategies through which the vision of Viksit Bharat can be achieved. We should encourage it wholeheartedly .” The theme of this edition of the meeting was ‘Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047’. “Viksit Bharat is the goal of every Indian. When every state is Viksit, then Bharat will be Viksit. This is the aspiration of its 140 crore citizens,” Modi said, adding that India is getting rapidly urbanised. The prime minister issued a call to work towards future ready cities. Growth, innovation and sustainability should be the engine for the development of our cities, he added. This was the first national meeting of chief ministers after Operation Sindoor. WITH THIS ISSUE Stadium to Screen PLUS 12 PAGES Two deaths, major damage across state as monsoon arrives early E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @T’Puram Two people died in Kannur while widespread damage was reported from across the state, especially in the northern districts, as the Southwest monsoon made an early onset over Kerala on Saturday . Bayas Oroyana, a Jharkhand native, died in a landslide while working on the NH 66. Earlier in the day another , landslide claimed the life of Ratheesh, 52, at Azhiyur in Kannur. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded red alert for Malapppuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasaragod on Sunday On . Monday, all districts, barring Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Alapppuzha, will be under red alert, it said. This marks the earliest onset of the Southwest monsoon in Kerala in 16 years. The IMD said this year’s onset was eight days ahead of the normal June 1 schedule, and was the earliest ● More on P2 after May 23, 2009.