THURSDAY 18 MAY 2023 Pages 12 |` 5.00|LC www.thestatesman.com KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR P6 WEATHER PARTLY CLOUDY SKY. POSSIBILITY OF DRIZZLE TOWARDS AFTERNOON/EVENING AT ONE OR TWO PLACES AND GUSTY WINDS (SPEED 25-35 KMPH). THE MAXIMUM AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WOULD BE AROUND 40 & 26 DEGREES CELSIUS RESPECTIVELY. RAINFALL: Nil RELATIVE HUMIDITY Max. 62% TEMPERATURE Max: 41.1°C (+1) SUN RISES 05:29 hrs MOON RISES 05:00 hrs P8 Min. 27% Min: 25.4°C (-1) SUN SETS 19:07 hrs MOON SETS 17:57 hrs THUMBNAILS Protesting wrestlers Sangeeta Phogat, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik offer prayers at Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, in New Delhi on Wednesday. ANI P10 Quad summit in Australia off After US President Joe Biden cancels Australia trip STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 MAY T he Quad Summit of India, Australia, Japan and the United States scheduled on 24 May in Sydney has been cancelled after US President Joe Biden decided not to go ahead with a planned visit to Australia due to debt ceiling negotiations back home in America. The White House announced early on Wednesday that Mr Biden will return to the USA after the conclusion of the G7 Summit in Japan and not travel to Papua New Guinea and Australia as planned earlier. Mr Biden has also conveyed his decision to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Mr Albanese confirmed to the media this morning that the Quad Leaders Summit in Sydney had been cancelled. “This is a decision that’s been made overnight...in the United States. The Quad leaders’ meeting will not be going ahead in Sydney next week,” he said. He said the leaders of the four Quad countries could meet on the margins of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan. “We thought will be having that discussion between Quad leaders in Japan...The Quad is an important body and we want to make sure that it occurs at the leadership level, and we’ll be having that discussion over the weekend,” Albanese said. DJOKOVIC ACCUSES NORRIE OF UNSPORTING BEHAVIOUR DUMA VOTES TO SCRAP COLD WAR ARMED FORCES DEAL CENTRE LAUNCHES IT HARDWARE PLI 2.0 RUSSELL REMEMBERED~I All four Quad leaders ~ President Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Albanese ~ will be at the G7 Summit to be held in Hiroshima on Saturday and Sunday. Mr Albanese said a planned bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Modi in Australia might still go ahead although there was no immediate word from the Indian side on whether Mr Modi also would change his itinerary, now that the Quad Summit has been cancelled. New Delhi announced yesterday that PM Modi would embark on a visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia on 19 May to participate in outreach sessions of the G7 Summit on 20 May, the Summit of the Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation on 22 May, and the Quad Leaders Summit on 24 May. P12 Suspense continues over new K’taka CM; Surjewala says decision likely in 48-72 hrs ASHOK TUTEJA Earlier today, there were reports that 75-year-old Siddaramaiah, who has been camping in the national capital, would be named as the new chief minister this evening. However, Mr Shivakumar, who too is in Delhi, met senior leader Rahul Gandhi and is belie- ved to have stuck to his demand that he be given the chief ministership since Mr Siddaramaiah has already held the post in the past. Mr Shivakumar also met the AICC chief later. Mr Siddaramaiah also met the top central leaders to reinforce his claim to the chief ministership. Sources said that the central leadership had offered Mr Shivakumar the deputy chief ministership along with the post of the PCC chief which he currently holds but he did not agree. Former AICC president Sonia Gandhi is also learnt to have spoken to Mr Shivakumar in an attempt to convince him. NEW DELHI, 17 MAY Suspense continued for the fourth day today on who will be the next chief minister of Karnataka with the central Congress leadership finding it difficult to settle the issue despite marathon talks with the two main contenders for the post, former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Pradesh party chief D K Shivakumar. AICC-in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, however, sought to play down the speculation that the leadership issue in the state, where the Congress registered a resounding victory in the Assembly elections, remains unresolved because of the refusal of both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar to back down. Mr Surjewala said AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge has been authorised to appoint the new leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) and he was still holding deliberations. “Whenever Congress makes a decision we will inform you. In the next 48-72 hours, we will have a new cabinet in Karnataka,” he told reporters. The Congress leader appealed to the media not to resort to any speculation. “Whenever a decision is taken by the Congress president, we will be happy to inform you. I am only here to quash multiple rumours and hearsay ...that are being played on multiple news channels. Please don't believe them,” he said. Attacking the BJP, Mr Surjewala said the party itself took 10-15 days to decide on the chief ministerial post while the Congress leadership was committed to resolving it as quickly as possible. He also said the next Congress government in Karnataka was committed to fulfilling the five guarantees it made to the people of the state. “We will implement the five guarantees as promised by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi,” he added. He also said that the party will ensure there was no “40 per cent commission government” in the state. SUMMER BREAK Submit report on Hindenburg by Aug 14 : SC to SEBI SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 17 MAY The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked market regulator SEBI to submit an updated status report on August 14 on its probe into the Adani-Hindenburg controversy, while also directing that the copies of the report of the Justice A. M. Sapre panel will be given to the parties in the meantime to enable them assist in further deliberations. A bench headed by Turbulence in AI flight : 7 passengers injured STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 MAY Seven passengers on board a routine Delhi-Sydney Air India flight suffered minor sprains after the aircraft encountered severe turbulence. The incident occurred on Tuesday when the flight AAI-302 suddenly encountered a zone of turbulent weather, a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said here today. The injured passengers received immediate medical assistance on arrival at the Sydney airport. None of the injured passengers was hospitalised, the DGCA said. “Air India B787-800 aircraft VT-ANY operating flight AI-302 (Delhi-Sydney) encountered severe turbulence. During the flight seven passengers reported minor sprains," DGCA told a news agency. According to DGCA officials, cabin crew members swiftly responded to the situation, attending to the injured passengers and ensuring their safety. The cabin crew administered emergency first aid to those injured on the flight. “Cabin crew provided the first aid with the assistance of a doctor and a nurse travelling as passengers, using the onboard first aid kit,” the DGCA told the news agency. The turbulence was so severe that multiple injuries were reported by passengers at the Sydney airport, where the airport manager extended medical assistance. There was however, no immediate response from Air India. Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing SEBI, that the court could have given time till end of September but on August 14, "tell us, what stage you are on... Give us an updated report". Mehta contended that 6months extension for the SEBI to complete its report was already compressed. The bench, also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, told Mehta that "tell us what you have done and the court had initially granted 2 months and now extended it till August which makes it 5 months” as it stressed that it cannot give indefinite extension for completing the probe. Advocate Prashant Bhushan submitted that in recent years, despite many complaints, SEBI did not do anything. The SEBI had told the Supreme Court that allegations that it has been investigating the Adani Group since 2016 are “factually baseless”. It also cautioned that "any incorrect or premature conclusion of the case arrived at without full facts material on record would not serve the ends of justice and hence would be legally untenable". It, in a written response in the top court filed on May 17, said that Minister of State for Finance in his reply to the Parliament on July 19, 2021 had confirmed that SEBI is investigating some Adani Group companies with regard to compliance with SEBI Regulations. It may be noted that the investigation referred to was in respect of possible noncompliance with Minimum Public Shareholding Norms, and consequential violations. Giraffes are seen inside their enclosure at Alipore Zoo on a hot summer day in Kolkata.  ANI SC seeks fresh status report on Manipur STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE NEW DELHI, 17 MAY Reminding the Manipur government that maintaining law and order was the responsibility of the State government, the Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a fresh status report on the security, relief and rehabilitation of the people affected by the violence between Meitei and Kuki communities. Seeking a fresh status report relating to the steps to ameliorate the plight of the violence affected people, a Bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice J B Pardiwala said that maintaining law and order is a state subject and as the Supreme Court, it will ensure that the political executive does not turn a blind eye on the matter. “We can’t say who is responsible for this... law and order is a State subject. We as the apex court can ensure they don't turn a blind eye. We must as a court also understand that some matters are entrusted to Meitei community representative Salam Gourakishwor Singh addresses the media outside the SC premises.  ANI the political arm (of the executive),” said CJI Chandrachud. The Centre and the State government told the top court that a status report has been filed and the situation has improved in the State. The Manipur government in its status report has said that a total of 318 relief camps have been opened where more than 47,914 persons being provided ration, food, water and medical care including medicines and a total of 626 FIRs have been registered so far. The State government has also sanctioned a contingency fund of Rs. 3 crores for meeting exigencies involving relief measures and it has been decided that to earmark 25 per cent of the MLA Local Area Development Fund for relief measures in respective assembly constituencies, says the affidavit by the Manipur government. Focusing on the measures on the security, relief and rehabilitation of the violence affected people, the court said that it will not deal with the legal issues arising out of the Manipur High Court’s decision, directing the State government to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe list.The top court said this noting that the pleas challenging the order of the single judge were pending before the Division Bench of the High Court. The court said that the tribals can move the division bench of the Manipur High Court with their grievances on the quota issue. The top court questioned the Manipur High Court for its order asking the State government to recommend to the Centre the inclusion of Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe list. Initially CJI Chandrachud said: “We have to stay the order of the Manipur High Court. It is completely, factually wrong and we gave time to Justice Muralidharan to remedy his error and he did not. We have to take a strong view against it now. It is clear if High Court judges do not follow Constitution Bench judgments, then what should we do… it is very clear.” However, the top court refrained from staying it as it noted that an appeal has been filed before the division bench of the High Court against the judgment of the single-judge and next date of hearing is 6 June there. It said aggrieved parties can present their case before the division bench. The top court took into account security apprehensions of Meitei and Kuki communities and ordered that the Chief Secretary and his Security Advisor will assess and take steps to ensure “peace and tranquillity” in the State. Centre seeks hysterectomy data from all states SNS & AGENCIES NEW DELHI, 17 MAY Amidst concerns over rising hysterectomy rates among young women, the Central government has asked states to provide data on hysterectomies conducted in private as well as public hospitals. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has advised all states and Union Territories to undertake compulsory audit for all hysterectomies as is being done for maternal mortality in all healthcare institutions, both public and private. The aim is to prevent certain medical institutions from carrying out the procedure even when it is unnecessary and unjustified. “The matter is regarding the prevention of unnecessary and often unjustified hysterectomies performed by certain medical institutions. This issue is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare,” The aim is to prevent certain medical institutions from carrying out the procedure even when it is unnecessary and unjustified Bhushan said in a letter sent to all states and Union Territories on 28 April. The Centre has also asked states to share the hysterectomy status and data preand post-implementation of last year’s guidelines in order to prevent unnecessary hysterectomies. Guidelines on hysterectomy ~ a procedure in which the uterus is removed surgically ~ were prepared by the health ministry and circulated to all states earlier. “The states are requested to share the hysterectomy status/data pre and postimplementation of these guidelines. They are also advised to undertake compulsory audits for all hysterectomies, as is already being done for maternal mortality in all healthcare Institutions (both public and private),” the letter stated. Global warming set to break key 1.5 degrees Celsius limit for first time AGENCIES GENEVA, 17 MAY One year in the next five will almost certainly be the hottest on record and there’s a twoin-three chance a single year will cross the crucial 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming threshold, an alarming new report by the World Meteorological Organization predicts. The report, known as the Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update, warns if humanity fails to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero, increasingly worse heat records will tumble beyond this decade. Hitting the threshold would mean the world is 1.5C warmer than it was during the second half of the 19th Century, before fossil fuel emissions from industrialisation really began to ramp up. And breaking the limit even for just one year is a worrying sign that warming is accelerating and not slowing down. So what is driving the bleak outlook for the next five years? An expected El Niño, on top of the overall global warming trend, will likely push the global temperature to record levels. Has the Paris Agreement already failed if the global average temperature exceeds the 1.5 degree threshold in one of the next five years? No, but it will be a stark warning of what’s in store if we don’t quickly reduce emissions to net zero. The World Meteorological Organization update says there is a 98 per cent chance at least one of the next five years will be the hottest on record. And there’s a 66 per cent chance of at least one year over the 1.5 degree threshold. There’s also a 32 per cent chance the average temperature over the next five years will exceed the 1.5 degree threshold. The chance of temporarily exceeding 1.5 degrees has risen steadily since 2015, when it was close to zero. For the years between 2017 and 2021, it was a 10per cent chance. Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions have already driven up global average temperatures by more than 1 degree Celsius since the late 19th century. The update notes the 2022 average global temperature was about 1.15 degree Celsius above the 1850-1900 average, despite the cooling influence of La Niña conditions. Temperatures are now rising by about 0.2? per decade. Almost all nations around the world have signed the Paris Agreement. The aim is to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and preferably below 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The prediction that an individual year above 1.5 degree Celsius global warming is more likely than not is alarming. But it doesn’t mean we have failed to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals. The agreement aims to limit longterm global warming to a level that avoids major climate impacts, including ecosystem loss. One or two years that pop over the 1.5 degree level don’t constitute failure. However, the world is getting closer to the 1.5 degree global warming level due to our continuing high greenhouse gas emissions. The forecast of a probable year that exceeds that level should serve as a warning.