MSC ELSA 3 sinking, Musk exit, monsoon onset and more: The week in 5 charts
(1) Plastic nurdles wash up on Kerala coast after container ship sinks
Several containers washed ashore along Kerala's lower coast after a container vessel - MSC ELSA 3 - sunk over 30 nautical miles away from Kochi port on Monday (May 26, 2025). The vessel had 643 containers, 13 of which had hazardous cargo.
The ship also transported quantities of small plastic pellets, or nurdles, which washed ashore along Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday (May 28, 2025). The incident sparked concerns of environmental damage to coastal areas. Nurdles, with their small size (less than 5 mm), come with the problem of being swallowed by fish when not recovered from the sea. Besides being lost at sea during acute losses, chronic pellet loss throughout the supply chain is also an issue.
While exact numbers are not available for pellet loss, an impact assessment commissioned by the European Commission said that pellet loss ranged from anywhere between 52,140 tonnes to 1,84,290 tonnes in total in 2019.
This figure is around 0.08% to 0.28% of total pellet volume produced in the EU. This means, the economic cost of lost pellets is not high enough for stakeholders in the production cycle as per the report. However, external costs like that of environmental damage is high due to the decades-long persistence of lost pellets in the environment.
(2) COVID-19 cases rise in India
Over the past week, active cases of COVID-19 have been rising in India. As of June 2, 2021, India recorded over 3,900 active COVID-19 cases, with Kerala accounting for over 1,400.
As per information from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, the majority of new cases have been driven by the JN.1 variant of the virus. For the month of May, 61% of sequenced samples recorded JN.1 as the variant involved. JN.1 and its descendants belong to the Omicron family of the virus. Besides JN.1, variants LF.7 and NB.1.8.1, which are descendants of JN.1, are two other variants causing the recent spike in cases.
The World Health Organisation designated NB.1.8.1 as a variant under monitoring on 23 May, 2025. Such a designation is a 'signal to public health authorities that a SARS-CoV-2 variant may require prioritized attention and monitoring,' according to the WHO's website.
Following the designation, the WHO put out a risk evaluation report for NB.1.8.1. The report highlighted an increase in the proportion of NB.1.8.1 sequences to others.
Despite the increase, the WHO concluded the risk to be low, since the variant's immune evasion was only marginally more than LP.8.1, and there was no evidence to suggest that this variant caused more severe infection than others.
(3) Early onset of monsoon in Mumbai leads to waterlogging in several areas
Mumbai woke up to heavy rain and thunderstorms on Monday (May 26, 2025), with several parts of the city receiving over 200 mm of rainfall, according to the civic body. Transportation services took a hit as waterlogging was reported in several areas, including the King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital and the newly inaugurated Metro 3 Aqua Line station.
With the increase in rain, IMD put Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Pune and Ratnagiri on red alert on Monday (May 26, 2025) afternoon. 'The monsoon has arrived 16 days early to Mumbai. Looking at the synoptic situations, the orange alert was updated to red alert for Mumbai, Thane, and other ghat regions,' said Shubhangi Bhute, the head of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai.
The early onset was due to the low-pressure area over the Arabian Sea and the change in wind direction. This was the first time since 1956 that Mumbai has witnessed the early onset of monsoon, as per the IMD data.
The coastal observatory in Colaba and Sant Cruz recorded 144 mm and 74.3mm of rainfall, respectively, till 5.30 p.m., according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Colaba Coastal Observatory recorded the highest rainfall this May at 300 mm, breaking the record from 1918 when 279.4 mm rainfall was recorded in May.
Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) was forced to suspend operations on the Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli on Monday after heavy rains inundated the newly inaugurated underground Acharya Atre Chowk station, causing extensive damage
The heavy rainfall has caused disruptions to transport systems in Mumbai as waterlogging was reported in several areas, including Dadar TT flyover, Saki Naka in Andheri, Hindmata Junction, Worli Naka, and Elphinstone Bridge. As this led to traffic congestion, several BEST buses were also diverted, while the local train services were terminated at the suburban stations Kurla, Dadar and Parel due to waterlogging between Byculla - CSMT, later restored, as per the Central Railway PRO, Swapnil Nila.
According to BMC, around 25 cases of short circuits, 45 tree/branches felling, and nine incidents of partial house collapse were reported across Mumbai city and suburban areas. One person, identified as Sairaj Pawar (24), was injured and admitted to St. George Hospital.
(4) Elon Musk exits Trump administration
Billionaire Elon Musk has said he is leaving his role in the U.S. Government, in which he was tasked with reducing federal spending, shortly after his first major break with Donald Trump over the President's signature spending bill.
As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
While classified as a 'special government employee' and 'senior advisor to the President,' the South African-born tycoon has left indelible marks on American politics as Mr. Trump's most visible backer.
Apart from the cuts to the federal workforce and budget through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Mr. Musk's time with the Trump 2.0 administration was marked with a series of highlight reels. From the gesture resembling a Nazi salute during Mr. Trump's January 20 inauguration, to endorsing Germany's extreme-right AfD party through virtual participation, to brandishing a chainsaw on stage at a conservating get-together in Washington, Mr. Musk has indeed left a mark on American politics.
With Mr. Musk's Tesla car company taking a battering on the stock market and sales dropping sharply, and with vandals targeting his brand, the White House hosted a highly publicized test drive to boost Tesla's reputation.
Just before the tech tycoon announced that he was quitting his U.S. Government role, Mr. Musk said he was 'disappointed' by Mr. Trump's divisive mega-bill, which offers sprawling tax relief and spending cuts, in a rare split with the Republican president.
'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Mr. Musk told CBS News.
(5) Russia hits Ukraine with biggest drone attack since war began
In a significant escalation in the Russia-Ukraine war, Russia launched its biggest drone attack on Ukrainian targets since the war began three years ago. Along with this barrage of drones, Russia launched seven missiles. On June 1 alone, Russia launched attacks with 472 drones, according to Ukraine's air force as per the AP.
On the same day, Ukraine responded with drone strikes on 41 Russian bomber planes in several airfields. U.S. President Donald Trump, who is attempting to broker a ceasefire deal between the two countries, called Russian President Vladimir Putin 'absolutely CRAZY' following the drone attacks.
Ukraine is set to send a delegation to Istanbul for direct peace talks with Russia on June 2. In these talks, Russia will share a memorandum about its position on ending the war with Ukraine.
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