The week in 5 charts | Donald Trump indictment, NIRF ranking, Canada wildfires, and more

Here are five charts that will help you understand some of the key stories from last week

(1) Donald Trump indicted in classified documents case

Former President Donald Trump described a Pentagon “plan of attack” and shared a classified map related to a military operation, according to the indictment related to the mishandling of classified documents that was unsealed on Friday and that could instantly reshape the 2024 Presidential race.

This is the first time in U.S. history that a federal government is bringing charges against a former President.

The case adds to deepening legal jeopardy for Mr. Trump, who has already been indicted in New York and faces additional investigations in Washington and Atlanta that also could lead to criminal charges. But among the various investigations he has faced, legal experts — as well as Mr. Trump’s own aides — had long seen the Mar-a-Lago probe as the most perilous threat and the one most ripe for prosecution.

The indictment paints an unmistakably damning portrait of Mr. Trump’s treatment of sensitive information, accusing him of willfully defying Justice Department demands to return documents he had taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that we wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored in his estate.

The 49-page charging document, also alleges that Mr. Trump cavalierly and boastfully showed them off to visitors, is startling in scope and in the breadth of allegations.

The first page of the U.S. Justice Department's charging document against former U.S. President Donald Trump is seen after being released by the Justice Department in Washington, U.S. on June 9, 2023. | Photo Credit: Justice Department/Reuters

The indictment includes 37 counts — 31 of which pertain to the willful retention of national defence information, with the balance relating to alleged conspiracy, obstruction and false statements —that taken together could result in a yearslong prison sentence.

Mr. Trump is due to make his first court appearance on Tuesday in federal court in Miami, where the case was filed. He was charged alongside Walt Nauta, an aide and close adviser to Mr. Trump who prosecutors say brought boxes from a storage room to Mr. Trump’s residence for him to review and later lied to investigators about the movement.

(2) Odisha train accident probe

A preliminary investigation by a multi-disciplinary team of railway officials has indicated that a signalling failure may have been a cause of the three-train collision in Odisha’s Balasore district.

The accident occurred when the Coromandel Express, travelling on the main line heading south, crashed into a goods train parked on a loop line at the Bahanaga Bazar station in Bihar. The Yashwantpur-Howrah Express, on the main line travelling north, then collided with some of the Coromandel Express’ derailed coaches.

The preliminary probe report, a copy of which is available with The Hindu, says that the Coromandel Express was initially given the green signal to enter the Up Main Line, but the signal was then taken off. The train then entered the loop line instead and collided with a goods train there, triggering the multi-train collision.

Loop lines are constructed in a station area to accommodate more trains and thus ease operations. They are generally about 750 metres in length to accommodate full-length goods trains with multiple engines.

The preliminary investigation team, comprising mostly Senior Section Engineers, found that Train No. 12841 Shalimar-Dr MGR Chennai Central Coromandel Express was given the green signal for passing through the Up Main Line, but it was then taken off. However, the report does not indicate the reason why the signal was given and taken off, nor does it make it clear whether the signal was showing ‘green’ or ‘red’ at the time when the Coromandel Express crossed it; that would be part of a more detailed investigation.

The train did not have a scheduled stoppage at the Bahanaga Bazar station, which it was approaching. The probe confirmed that it entered the loop line instead of passing through the station on the Up Main Line, and so collided with the goods train.

Earlier, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who reviewed the restoration work at the Balasore triple train collision site on June 4, had said that the accident happened due to a change in electronic interlocking.

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday officially took over the investigation into Odisha’s Balasore train crash, which claimed the lives of 275 people. A 10-member CBI team, accompanied by forensic experts, on Tuesday examined the site of the June 2 train accident.

The officials inspected the damaged coaches of the two passenger trains and made enquiries about the signalling system at the Bahanaga Bazar railway station, given that preliminary findings have indicated that a signalling error may have been the cause of the collision. They sought the relevant documents and asked for data-logger records. Some officials also visited the Balasore railway station to collect evidence.

This apart, the Government Railway Police in Balasore also registered a case on June 3 under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Railway Act over the accident.

(3) Canadian wildfires fill skies with smoke

Canada is seeing its worst-ever start to wildfire season as blazes burn from the western provinces to Atlantic Canada.

Northern Quebec’s largest town was being evacuated on June 6 as firefighters worked to beat back threats from out-of-control blazes in remote communities in the northern and northwestern parts of the Province.

According to the Province’s forest fire prevention agency, more than 150 forest fires were burning in the Province on June 6, including more than 110 deemed out of control.

The intense Canadian wildfires are blanketing the northeastern U.S. and parts of Eastern Canada in a haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish gray, disrupting flights and sending people indoors.

The concern with this smoky air is particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter — small enough to get inside not only the lungs but the bloodstream, said Samantha Green, a family doctor with Unity Health in Toronto.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was making a million N95 masks — the kind prevalent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic — available at state facilities, including 400,000 in New York City. She also urged residents to stay put.

Studies in people have linked wildfire smoke with higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, and cardiac arrests, increases in emergency room visits for respiratory conditions, and weakened immune defenses. Wildfires have also been linked with eye irritation and skin problems.

(4) Internet economy to become 12–13% of GDP by 2030

India’s internet economy — B2C e-commerce firms, online service providers, ed-tech companies, and so on — will hit $1 trillion in value by 2030, up from $175 billion in 2022, a report by Google, Bain & Company and Temasek estimated.

“The e-Conomy of a Billion Connected Indians,” released by the three firms on June 6, said that the growth would be driven by more Indians starting to transact online and the growth of digital businesses overall.

The key thrust would come from “Tier 2+ locations,” the report said, emphasising smaller towns and rural areas, where the changes were expected to be most pronounced in their impact on the value of the internet economy, as only 13% of Indians live in metro and tier 1 cities.

“... the contribution of the internet economy to India’s technology sector is set to expand, from the present 48% to 62% in 2030,” the report said. Simultaneously, the internet economy will go from contributing 4–5% to the Gross Domestic Product to more than double that number, nearly 12–13%.

Also Refer | Technology use will help India become developed nation by 2047: PM Modi

(5)  NIRF ranks released

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), under the Union Ministry of Education, announced the India Rankings 2023 of higher education institutions on Monday. Overall, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras is ranked the best, followed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, and IIT Bombay. IIT Madras has been ranked the best since the NIRF system was introduce in 2016.

Miranda House, Delhi is ranked the best college. Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad is the top management institute. National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Hyderabad is ranked number one for pharmaceutical studies.

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi is ranked the best medical college, and Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai is the top dental college. National Law School of India University, Bengaluru is ranked the best law college in the country.

In Tamil Nadu, 22 institutions bagged a place in the top 100 list. With respect to college rankings, more than a third of the top 100 colleges are in Tamil Nadu.

Started by the Ministry of Education in 2015, NIRF outlines a methodology to rank educational institutions across the country under parameters such as teaching, learning, and resources; research and professional practices; graduation outcome; outreach and inclusivity; and perception.